Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

stuuke

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2004
243
53
My wife is a teacher and is going to purchase a powerbook through the apple store. Is there sales tax on this purchase? I get to the place order page and it doesn't list anything.
 
Tax=Yes

Hi,

I have purchased machines throught the Apple Store for Education. Once the machine is ordered, the estimated tax is added to the total.
 
stuuke said:
My wife is a teacher and is going to purchase a powerbook through the apple store. Is there sales tax on this purchase? I get to the place order page and it doesn't list anything.

The sales tax rate of your state will be applied. As the previous poster notes, they don't add it right away, but it will be on your receipt.

The only way to avoid applicable sales tax is to have some tax-exempt status that you would send (or whatever) to apple.
 
Le Big Mac said:
The sales tax rate of your state will be applied. As the previous poster notes, they don't add it right away, but it will be on your receipt.

The only way to avoid applicable sales tax is to have some tax-exempt status that you would send (or whatever) to apple.

Wait, let me get this straight- I live in NJ, mom is a teacher here. Even if we order it online, we'll get taxed 6% (NJ tax)? But not if we order it through the regular online store?
 
you will get tax both by ordering thru the apple web site and thru the apple stores in NJ no way to avoid it

would be nice if apple opened a store in deleware could just pop down to DC for the weekend and then pick up a new computer and save a hundred or so on the way back (no tax in deleware)

thrillz3 said:
Wait, let me get this straight- I live in NJ, mom is a teacher here. Even if we order it online, we'll get taxed 6% (NJ tax)? But not if we order it through the regular online store?
 
I guess we might as well get it at the store in Menlo Mall and check for dead pixels before we buy.
 
I don't understand why you have to submit the order before you see the final price. I get shipping charges and the price of the computer and submit my credit card before they tack on a another couple hundred. I say BS.
 
thrillz3 said:
I guess we might as well get it at the store in Menlo Mall and check for dead pixels before we buy.

Just a word. You can't get a BTO at the retail store. Also my experience was that you really didn't have the option to open the box and check it be fore purchase when I bought mine.
 
I talked to some guy in the apple store in PA about this. If you have an apple store in your state, you are charged tax, regardless of whether or not you order online. If you live in a state with no apple store, and you order online, you do not have to pay sales tax. I'm not certain what happens if you go to another state with either lower or no sales tax. They receive enough information about where you live, so they may still apply your home sales tax.
 
Elbeano said:
I talked to some guy in the apple store in PA about this. If you have an apple store in your state, you are charged tax, regardless of whether or not you order online. If you live in a state with no apple store, and you order online, you do not have to pay sales tax. I'm not certain what happens if you go to another state with either lower or no sales tax. They receive enough information about where you live, so they may still apply your home sales tax.

Companies are only required to charge sales tax if they have a physical presence (store, distribution center, etc..) in your state (the one they are shipping to). Some companies (I believe Amazon may have agreed to do this - not sure) are now voluntarily collecting sales tax for all states (assuming they have one) regardless of physical presence.
 
Don't you think they should at least make you aware of the exact situation for your state on the website?
 
DGFan said:
Companies are only required to charge sales tax if they have a physical presence (store, distribution center, etc..) in your state (the one they are shipping to). Some companies (I believe Amazon may have agreed to do this - not sure) are now voluntarily collecting sales tax for all states (assuming they have one) regardless of physical presence.

It is the thorny issue of "NEXIS, meaning that if you have a viable businesses enitity, then th compay has the obiligation to collect the taxes.

Th only way to avoid taxes on educational purchases if your state allows for such purchases to be tax exempt. The only recourse for those states that collect sales tax when they should not is to file a a claim for the excess withholding.
 
stuuke said:
Don't you think they should at least make you aware of the exact situation for your state on the website?

That's why it says Subtotal Please note that your subtotal does not include sales tax or rebates. Several times, in fact.

Most places aren't going to give you the exact amount until you're actually at checkout. Even then it can change.
 
I've never dealt with any place that didn't give you a total until you had already made the purchase. Imagine walking into a store, taking an item to the counter and then you have to hand them a wad of cash before you can find out how much it will cost. Sorry if you disagree but it seems strange to me.
 
Keep in mind one should be aware of the tax situation when they order.

Not to mention the same people that complain about the sale tax also complain about the lack of state services....
 
stuuke said:
I've never dealt with any place that didn't give you a total until you had already made the purchase. Imagine walking into a store, taking an item to the counter and then you have to hand them a wad of cash before you can find out how much it will cost. Sorry if you disagree but it seems strange to me.
And you still HAVEN'T dealt with any place that didn't give you a total before you made a purchase. The purchase happens when you submit the order, and you already have the total at that point. You are implying that typing in your credit card number means you made the purchase, and that is not the case, any more than taking your clothes off in front of some one means you had sex. You are in no way obligated to make the purchase without knowing the total.
 
stuuke said:
I've never dealt with any place that didn't give you a total until you had already made the purchase. Imagine walking into a store, taking an item to the counter and then you have to hand them a wad of cash before you can find out how much it will cost. Sorry if you disagree but it seems strange to me.

i agree - a lot of online vendors do give estimated total, inclusive of shipping and taxes before you have to submit the credit card number.

apple does state that the subtotal doesn't include taxes, etc., but if they know the amount, why not display it to begin with? (typing in credit card number doesn't add any information as to what your tax should be... so it's not like apple can't figure out what the estimated tax will be before that.)

it's a bit of an annoyance, that's all. i don't think they are trying to be deceptive or anything (i mean, we all know what the tax rate is in our home state, etc.) but it's still a bit strange.
 
I live in Arkansas (9.25% sales tax), but I bought my powerbook in Virginia (4.5% sales tax) at an Apple Store. I got the EDU discount (I had to show my Arkansas faculty card to prove I deserve it), but I only had to pay VA tax, since I was buying it there. It worked out to something like an $80 savings.

In Arkansas I usually forgo the EDU discount because once they add on tax it costs more than paying full price (and getting exta perks like free ram or a printer) from someplace like MacMall. I guess the EDU discount really only works for people in states with low sales tax rates.

Frankly, I'm not sure how Apple does any business at all, since (for non-EDU purchases) they charge the same as all the other vendors, but they also charge tax. MacMall and MacZone and places like that often throw in stuff for "free" and don't charge tax, but may charge shipping. If you are not buying BTO, why buy from Apple themselves? I don't get it.
 
tamara6 said:
Frankly, I'm not sure how Apple does any business at all, since (for non-EDU purchases) they charge the same as all the other vendors, but they also charge tax. MacMall and MacZone and places like that often throw in stuff for "free" and don't charge tax, but may charge shipping. If you are not buying BTO, why buy from Apple themselves? I don't get it.

i don't think apple has much choice. it would be far more damaging for them to forgo their nationwide presence in order to avoid collecting sales taxes from anywhere but California.
 
2 things that are certain:

Taxes and Death. Not Death and Taxes, because Taxes happen more often than death.

I got bliztzed with the final price of my powerbook because of taxes. They're inescapable. No matter what you are going to be taxed unless you are exempt for some annointed reason. Even on my ipod.......taxed. This post in the future will probably be..........taxed. Not to sound bitter, but to be bitter, I like how my tax money went to buy weapons for Osama Bin Laden or even better, the ex-mayor of Houston's personal chef that was paid $40,000 dollar a year with tax payers money. I would bet apple wouldn't have a problem not taxing the consumer if they didnt have to. Their prices are elite as is. I just think you get what you pay for. And with the high demand for apple products, thats not going to dip anytime soon. Take the Record Labels desire for a hike in music prices, its because apple offers a service that is huge like a plague. Why not exploit the consumers dollar. Whats great is, we're even taxed on iTunes music. ha
 
goodwill said:
2 things that are certain:

Taxes and Death. Not Death and Taxes, because Taxes happen more often than death.

I got bliztzed with the final price of my powerbook because of taxes. They're inescapable. No matter what you are going to be taxed unless you are exempt for some annointed reason. Even on my ipod.......taxed. This post in the future will probably be..........taxed. Not to sound bitter, but to be bitter, I like how my tax money went to buy weapons for Osama Bin Laden or even better, the ex-mayor of Houston's personal chef that was paid $40,000 dollar a year with tax payers money. I would bet apple wouldn't have a problem not taxing the consumer if they didnt have to. Their prices are elite as is. I just think you get what you pay for. And with the high demand for apple products, thats not going to dip anytime soon. Take the Record Labels desire for a hike in music prices, its because apple offers a service that is huge like a plague. Why not exploit the consumers dollar. Whats great is, we're even taxed on iTunes music. ha

there's a simple solution to all that ranting... just like practically everywhere else in the world, we should require prices to include taxes. plain and simple.
 
jxyama said:
there's a simple solution to all that ranting... just like practically everywhere else in the world, we should require prices to include taxes. plain and simple.

Or better yet get involved in the political process.

Complain about taxes all you want. Unless you make your voice heard both in the halls and in the ballot box, don't sniffle here.
 
there should be a sticky thread that outlines whats taxed and not, and how there is no way to get an EDu discount without paying sales tax.
 
Kwyjibo said:
there should be a sticky thread that outlines whats taxed and not, and how there is no way to get an EDu discount without paying sales tax.

not quite... there's no way to get apple edu. discount without paying taxes. some resellers have their own edu. discounts...
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.