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With all the smoke-and-mirrors in corporate accounting, I sometimes wonder if my sales tax actually winds up in the appropriate hands... or if it winds up in one of those off-shore accounts where Uncle Sam can't get it. Whatever your thoughts on government, I'd like to be sure my dollars are going where they are claiming to go. Otherwise, Apple and others are just padding their pockets illegally.

This is a genuine question. Can anyone shed some light on this?
All entities collecting sales tax are required to file sales/use tax returns monthly/quarterly with the taxing authorities and remit the tax collected. Significant audit activity also ensures compliance. Only the smaller/struggling vendors are the ones most likely to have compliance/cash flow issues.
 
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