Among Friends

[shortbreadlover]

did  you know that you can avoid paying the  sales tax on items that  you purchase by calling the companie's1-800 number?

if the company does not have a physical presence  in your state and you order from via the telephone, you do not have to pay sales tax?  and many of the companies offer the deal prices as on line shopping.

i ordered   something via the phone, got free s&h plus no sales tax.had i used the interent, i would have to pay over $8.00 in state sales tax.

[Diva on The Q]

@shortbreadlover: Thanks for the information! 

[GCR18]

The no sales tax days are over.  If you buy on line and are not charged sales tax, you are required to keep a tally and include it in your tax return.

[nomless]

In my state, if sales tax is not collected by the merchant, it has to be paid by the shopper via the state income tax return.

[millieshops]

@shortbreadloverI think that may also depend upon where you live and what laws your own state has passed and enforces.

I'm not in NY right now, but I've paid sales tax for years even from sites often mentioned on here as places that never collect sales tax.

[shortbreadlover]

here in utah, they do not enforce that option.itis toocostly for them to do so.

[software]

---

@shortbreadlover wrote:

here in utah, they do not enforce that option.itis toocostly for them to do so.

---

The state will enforce it if you ever get audited.

Why do you want to be a cheat?

[Kachina624]

@shortbreadlover.  Please get the correct information.  A Supreme Court decision last summer mandated that all companies doing business on the Internet collect sales tax.  There may be exemptions for small mom & pop operations.

[Venezia]

Certainly in my state the law was changed to include all purchases made online (regardless of a physical presence) to close a loophole and even the playing field for B&M stores versus online retailers.

I pay the taxes I owe and don't have much time for anyone who dodges his or her equal liability.  Taxes are assessed to pay for infrastructure and other essentials for the common good.  Why should many of us pay for those who think they're being clever by not paying their share?

[gizmogal]

---

@Kachina624 wrote:

@shortbreadlover.  Please get the correct information.  A Supreme Court decision last summer mandated that all companies doing business on the Internet collect sales tax.  There may be exemptions for small mom & pop operations.

---

@Kachina624 You are entirely correct. I’m afraid @shortbreadlover is not aware of the recent decision by the US Supreme Court. There is no longer a requirement for a physical presence of a merchant in a state for the state to expect sales tax on remote seller purchases. Not every state is applying the ruling, but you can’t generalize as was written in the OP. 

The Effects of Wayfair

On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state in South Dakota v. Wayfair, a case in which South Dakota sought to have a statute imposing economic nexus standards on remote sellers upheld by the Court. In its decision, the Court concluded that the physical presence standard that had existed for decades for sales and use tax nexus was “unsound and incorrect.” The Court overruled its prior decisions in National Bellas Hess and Quill, thus opening the door for states to require remote sellers to collect and remit sales and use taxes.

This page provides insights to this change and links to various state policies:

https://tax.kpmg.us/insights/south-dakota-wayfair-decision.html