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Anyway to skip tax with student discount?
- Thread starter SDAVE
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siurpeeman
macrumors 603
you could buy it in a state that doesn't have sales tax like oregon. short of that, i can't think of a way.
iW00t
macrumors 68040
killerrobot
macrumors 68020
bruno9
macrumors newbie
Can you wait until August?
Dude:
From August 3-5, the following states offer complete or partial exemption from sales tax on purchases of computers, peripherals, and/or software:
Dude:
From August 3-5, the following states offer complete or partial exemption from sales tax on purchases of computers, peripherals, and/or software:
- Alabama
- Georgia (also 02-Aug)
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon do not have sales tax. there are sales tax free days in some states, but they usually have all sorts of restrictions (i think $1000 was the limit for one state).
So you'd either have to travel to one of those states, have your purchase shipped to someone in one of those states, or have it shipped to a state with no physical apple presence. I assume apple is like any other online retailer (amazon etc.) in that they only charge sales tax in states where they have a physical office or store etc.
Amazon often has rebates that are about equal to edu discounts btw.
So you'd either have to travel to one of those states, have your purchase shipped to someone in one of those states, or have it shipped to a state with no physical apple presence. I assume apple is like any other online retailer (amazon etc.) in that they only charge sales tax in states where they have a physical office or store etc.
Amazon often has rebates that are about equal to edu discounts btw.
For the '06 tax free holiday in GA, the limit on computers was $1500 for the entire purchase. And it's an all or nothing type thing (so it's not like the first $1500 would be tax free and you'd pay on the rest).
This is seriously your best bet, though.
Only way I've found is if your school has a store and carries Macs then they'll be at (or better) than Apple's education discount. If you then ship it out of the state it'll be tax free.
iToaster
macrumors 68000
Well, it looks like you'll either have to be tax exempt, or in one of those states. If you think about it, discounts will usually be good enough to alleviate sales tax ($2,725 for a 15" MBP in NY, I just take my dad and he gets a 10% discount, thus I pay ~$2,475). So either find a way to get tax exempt status, buy it from that one store, go to a state without taxes/tax free days, or realize that it isn't that big of a deal with the taxes.
Grimace
macrumors 68040
Non-profit organizations and charities are considered tax-exempt, not the individuals affiliated with them. School purchases (by the school) are tax-exempt.
Since Apple has a retail presence in almost every state, you have to pay sales tax, which sucks. There are some states with no sales tax in general (like NH) and there are also some tax-free days around August to spur back-to-school sales. Purchases are usually limited to $2500 per item and exclude "luxury goods" like jewelry.
In North Carolina, the limit is $3,500 on any computer related product. It's when I plan on buying my first MBP. 🙂
dmaxdmax
macrumors 6502a
Awesome! If purchased on-line is the tax charged (not charged in this case) on the date ordered or shipped? I'd hate to buy on the 3rd and get the CC billed on the 6th.
dMax
Davidson, NC
richard4339
macrumors 6502a
Detlev_73
macrumors 6502
Yes ma'am! This is THE most awesome thing since sliced bread. So if you live in any of these states, take advantage of it! It's awesome!!! New iMac here I come!
killerrobot
macrumors 68020
You know, I don't know why none of us thought of this solution before--Hear me out.
Tax isn't your problem. Your problem is the cost of the computer.
If you don't have to pay for the computer, there are no taxes to be paid.😉
So you know...just..."gank"/"borrow permanently"/"five finger discount"... total tax problem solved.
It was staring us right in the eyes. Life could be so simple🙄
You can always buy the notebook during the Holiday season. Many states have a period of time (usually one week or a weekend) where they dont charge sales tax. You have to look up your state though if you are even in the United States....
dmaxdmax
macrumors 6502a
For N.C. purchasers - The tax bulletin states that the tax holiday applies to internet based sales as long as the seller receives the CC number and the purchaser receives an order number during the appropriate period. It doesn't matter when the item ships of if it's on backorder etc.
Other states may differ.
I'm NOT a tax guy - don't place your trust in me.
http://www.dornc.com/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html
Other states may differ.
I'm NOT a tax guy - don't place your trust in me.
http://www.dornc.com/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html
I smell a road trip. Plus, my wife has family in NC, so the money spent getting there wouldn't be wasted and offset the amount that I would have saved in tax anyway, or something like that. I'll have to work out the details when I propose this idea to my wife.
Not sure if this was directed solely at my, but I'm a guy. 😉