Re:We are publishing the tax secrets of the .001%
by lotsofpulp on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @03:08PM
(#27439467)
Sales tax is the most visible tax. Maybe the richest of rich people do not consider it, but I have a hard time believing "nobody" considers it.
Re:We are publishing the tax secrets of the .001%
by Alupis on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @05:31PM
(#27441142)
Do you add up in your head how much that fast food meal will actually cost before you order it? How about when you try on new shoes? Probably not...
Re:We are publishing the tax secrets of the .001%
by lotsofpulp on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @05:38PM
(#27441227)
Yes, it is trivial to add 10% (or 30% for waited restaurants) to a number. Even if people did not for small purchases, with so many people living paycheck to paycheck, surely they notice an extra $50 to $150 for a TV or $3,000 for a car.
One of Amazon and other online only retailers’ biggest advantages until 2018 was that it did not have to charge sales tax to people in states without a physical Amazon presence. That meant you saved 7% or more buying from Amazon instead of locally. Basically everyone I know used to buy online to skirt sales tax.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota_v._Wayfair,_Inc.
It was a very big deal and politicians had been complaining about waning sales tax revenues.
This is a clever way to reduce purchasing power without making it seem as bad, ie. nobody really considers the tax on a new car purchase until they're signing the final paperwork... or even on a new T-Shirt. Depending where yo live, this sales tax is non-trivial too, sometimes up to 10%+.