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Amazon is retroactively charging taxes to all South Carolina customers. WTF?

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  • I'm in Charleston, actually. If you want to do lunch/dinner, I could find a good place.

    Aside from that, there is a nice used book store downtown, on King Street (that's the main shopping/food street). There's also a ton of touristy stuff to do downtown, especially if you're a fan of history. Lots of old (for America) homes with interesting architecture, Civil war history pieces (The Battery is worth wandering down, it's free and a nice walk when the weather is nice), and good bars ranging from dive to high end excuse-me-sir-we-don't-serve-your-kind bars.

    What were you looking for, exactly? My fiance has lived here all her life, so I can ask her for suggestions too when she gets home.
  • I'll be in Charleston from the middle of the morning through to about 3pm, so meeting for lunch would be totally possible. My number is 00 49 170 9688 379, so send me a text message when you know of a time and place we can meet. My phone will be turned on from about 9am onwards.
  • Awesome, I'll shoot you a text and we'll see if we can coordinate something. I technically only get half an hour for lunch, and downtown is about 30 minutes from where I work, but I might be able to work something out.
  • Where are you seeing that they were given a 5 year exemption? Even if so, I'm not seeing that this is unfair at all. So they were given a 5 year exemption and now (very early in the tax season still) they are telling you how much you have to account for.

    Nothing about this seems unfair in the slightest. I live in your state and don't see anything wrong with it, you just pay the Use tax like you would any other year. The only difference is that Amazon is giving you a specific number, unlike Newegg or eBay or whatever where you have to figure it out yourself.

    All in all, I think it's actually a good thing! They're doing me a favor.
    I have nothing against the tax, I just wish they would have told their customers. I wouldn't of made some of the purchases had I known I wouldnt get a tax discount. I bought my ipad from amazon because I thought there wasn't tax. If I knew I would have bought from Apple instead and got the free engraving. : /

  • edited February 2012
    Where are you seeing that they were given a 5 year exemption? Even if so, I'm not seeing that this is unfair at all. So they were given a 5 year exemption and now (very early in the tax season still) they are telling you how much you have to account for.

    Nothing about this seems unfair in the slightest. I live in your state and don't see anything wrong with it, you just pay the Use tax like you would any other year. The only difference is that Amazon is giving you a specific number, unlike Newegg or eBay or whatever where you have to figure it out yourself.

    All in all, I think it's actually a good thing! They're doing me a favor.
    I have nothing against the tax, I just wish they would have told their customers. I wouldn't of made some of the purchases had I known I wouldnt get a tax discount. I bought my ipad from amazon because I thought there wasn't tax. If I knew I would have bought from Apple instead and got the free engraving. : /

    It's not Amazon's job to tell you tax law. Again, you have only yourself to blame.

    Also, they did tell you. They sent you that email. They didn't even have to do that.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • I wouldn't of made some of the purchases had I known I wouldnt get a tax discount. I bought my ipad from amazon because I thought there wasn't tax.
    So, you specifically planned to engage in illegal tax avoidance, then enacted your plan? ;^)

  • Okay. I'm hanging out in the city now. It's really nice!
  • Hey, sorry. I got pegged for a high-priority project I've gotta get done today, so I won't be able to get downtown.

    If you want good food, here's some suggestions:

    Fleet Landing (decent seafood and a nice view)
    Rue de Jean (on John Street, French cuisine with a southern touch, fairly expensive though)
    Jim 'n Nick's Barbecue (on King Street, look for the place with a pig sillhouette on it, local food, $8 for a meal (or so))

    For totally local food, kind of hard to find.. Check out Jestine's Kitchen. It's kind of one of my favorite places ever.
  • I think I just don't understand how sales tax works for online purchases. I always thought that if the online store was not located on your state you don't have to pay taxes. I remember when I lived in TN my purchases from newegg were all taxed since they were located there. But when I purchased from SC they did not charge me tax.

    On that note, do I have to pay tax from purchases on craig's list or ebay? Why not just remove sales tax and increase income tax. Much less confusing and less for people to worry about.
  • I think I just don't understand how sales tax works for online purchases. I always thought that if the online store was not located on your state you don't have to pay taxes. I remember when I lived in TN my purchases from newegg were all taxed since they were located there. But when I purchased from SC they did not charge me tax.

    On that note, do I have to pay tax from purchases on craig's list or ebay? Why not just remove sales tax and increase income tax. Much less confusing and less for people to worry about.
    You have to pay use tax on anything you bought out of the state for use in the state. I'm not sure what rate it's at, but I think it's different than sales tax.

    Sales tax is a tax taken out for doing a sale in the state. Use tax is a tax for things that you buy out of state but use in-state, it's supposed to help level the playing field between in-state and out-of-state retailers (who don't have to pay sales tax).

    Use tax does not equal sales tax.
  • What about the online sites that still charge tax. Do I have to pay double? What If I move to another state and brought all my things with me. Will I have to pay taxes for essentially all my possessions everytime I move?
  • What about the online sites that still charge tax. Do I have to pay double? What If I move to another state and brought all my things with me. Will I have to pay taxes for essentially all my possessions everytime I move?
    No. If sites charge sales tax, you do not have to report them for use tax. Generally these will only be sites that have a physical presence in SC, so you are buying them from SC companies.

    It also depends on when you bought the possessions and when you moved. Basically, if you moved to SC and then bought things out of state you should report them for use tax.

    This is not that complicated.
  • edited February 2012
    I didn't think about this, but do you have to pay a Use Tax for items purchased from Military/Government stores where there is no sales tax?

    I did a quick search about it, but I couldn't mind much and I have things to do.
    Post edited by Rochelle on
  • I didn't think about this, but do you have to pay a Use Tax for items purchased from Military/Government stores where this is no sales tax?

    I did a quick search about it, but I couldn't mind much and I have things to do.
    This is actually a good question. I believe those items may actually be "tax exempt" and therefore no tax would need to be paid.

  • If that is the case, I am so happy of the store at my work and the fact that I can get into the local bases here for purchases.

    Next time iruul, find a friend that has access to these places. :P
  • If that is the case, I am so happy of the store at my work and the fact that I can get into the local bases here for purchases.

    Next time iruul, find a friend that has access to these places. :P
    However I am not a tax attorney, I'm just using rudimentary common sense and a healthy knowledge of the importance of legal definitions. You should make sure that the items you are purchasing are actually considered "tax exempt" in the same way that a "tax free weekend" item is tax exempt.

    Also possibly look up the legal definition of Tax Exempt in your state.
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