Apple online store and sales tax

[yadmonkey]

Here's something I was wondering about... how can the Apple online store charge sales tax? I live in NY and I ordered a new PM, but I was being charged sales tax, though I was not billed in NY and it was not shipped from NY. I have never in my life paid sales tax for an out-of-state purchase, so why does Apple charge it?

Now, sales tax is calculated by state tax plus local tax, which is why it varies across the state. Interestingly, they charged me not just the state tax, but my full local tax. There is no Apple operation in my town and I know they didn't send me a computer from the Apple store, which is in another county. Do you really think they are sending that tax back to the state and the additional percentage to my town? Highly dubious.

 

[TyleRomeo]

dude i know how you feel, i want to order my mac thru apple but really dont want to pay the tax. Its actually cheaper if you buy it from macmall.com or site like that.

i don't care about free shipping, the tax itself over rides the educational discount

 

[Dignan]

I think its legal for them to do it so long as you live in a state that an apple store is in. So long as they have a retail store in your state...i think thats the deal

 

[yadmonkey]

Originally posted by Dignan
I think its legal for them to do it so long as you live in a state that an apple store is in. So long as they have a retail store in your state...i think thats the deal

I'm not sure about that. I've ordered from Target's online store without getting taxed, as well as bestbuy.com, ciucuitcity.com and others with stores in my area, but was never taxed.

 

[Jbear]

I too have been charged sales tax online. There is no apple store in the state I'm in (MI, although august 31st will change that). So, Im not sure how or why they can do it either, I've never been charged for any other out-of-state online purchases.

 

[Dignan]

Interesting...maybe its a government thing, or that its optional. All i know is, the first time I got taxed from there was right after the first applestore came to the state.

 

[Bophonic]

"Apple has a business presence in every state and therefore, sales are susseptible to sales tax."

Makes the Edu. Discount spit....

P

 

[evildead]

tax

There are laws that are being pushed through now that make it illigal NOT to charge out of state sales Tax on on-line orders. Many companies are doing it now all ready. There is some abibuity in the law about it (written before the internet). Depending on how the new laws are recived... we may all be paying sale tax on all on-line orders for now on... or ... Apple and others like them will stop doing it.

-evildead

 

[yadmonkey]

Re: tax

Originally posted by evildead
There are laws that are being pushed through now that make it illigal NOT to charge out of state sales Tax on on-line orders. Many companies are doing it now all ready. There is some abibuity in the law about it (written before the internet). Depending on how the new laws are recived... we may all be paying sale tax on all on-line orders for now on... or ... Apple and others like them will stop doing it.

-evildead

I hope you are mistaken or that the law doesn't pass. Lack of sales tax is what has driven internet sales and catalog sales before the internet (that and the lack of retail space-related costs). A lot of mail order companies would be in deep s**t if that law passed. The consumers would also lose.

 

[firewire2001]

hey yo..

does dell charge sales tax..? how bout hp?

-f

 

[elmimmo]

if you are short on money, wait until your Mac dies after just 2.5 years:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10083