Missouri Sales Tax on Online Purchases
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It's been repeated here over and over but, it's is very true. People can only stand so much prosperity and success before they get lazy and begin to piss it all away. The US has reached old age. The Chinese look to be next on the list for world domination economically as they gradually embrace certain economic rules the USSR never did. And is the "golden rule" that wiles the world, "he who has the gold rules."
Should read, "And it is the "Golden Rule" that rules the world . . . "He who has the gold rules!'
I tried looking up how many jurisdictions with taxing power there are in the United States.
To start with there’s the federal government and 50 states and Washington DC and five territories.
Then there are over 3,000 counties.
And after that almost 90,000 cities and towns, but they don’t all have taxing authority. Maybe about 10,000?
And that doesn’t count special road, school, and levy districts, and the like.
Overall our governments are ran by people selected in elections of the people and in theory the people can throw the rascals out. It’s called a republic. It’s not a monarchy, dictatorship or communist state.
And in theory our governments should only do for us what we’d be better off not doing ourselves. Things like national defense, a stable currency, law and order, weights and measures, public health, roads, bridges, harbors, airports, and what I believe to be the most important of all, seeing to it every child must be educated, no matter what, no excuses, either at home or in a private or public school.
Without education we are all just animals wearing fancy clothes, but not for long.
If I were the king I’d limit sin taxes to the amount it costs to produce the vice, in the open market.
In other words if it costs $5 a pound to manufacture pipe tobacco, then add no more than $5 a pound as a tax.
That’s exactly how state lotteries (a vice if there ever was a vice) are set up, half to the state and half back to the player.
We need taxation to keep our civilization.
But we ought not pay more than twice the cost in taxes to sin, if we choose to sin, you know?
To start with there’s the federal government and 50 states and Washington DC and five territories.
Then there are over 3,000 counties.
And after that almost 90,000 cities and towns, but they don’t all have taxing authority. Maybe about 10,000?
And that doesn’t count special road, school, and levy districts, and the like.
Overall our governments are ran by people selected in elections of the people and in theory the people can throw the rascals out. It’s called a republic. It’s not a monarchy, dictatorship or communist state.
And in theory our governments should only do for us what we’d be better off not doing ourselves. Things like national defense, a stable currency, law and order, weights and measures, public health, roads, bridges, harbors, airports, and what I believe to be the most important of all, seeing to it every child must be educated, no matter what, no excuses, either at home or in a private or public school.
Without education we are all just animals wearing fancy clothes, but not for long.
If I were the king I’d limit sin taxes to the amount it costs to produce the vice, in the open market.
In other words if it costs $5 a pound to manufacture pipe tobacco, then add no more than $5 a pound as a tax.
That’s exactly how state lotteries (a vice if there ever was a vice) are set up, half to the state and half back to the player.
We need taxation to keep our civilization.
But we ought not pay more than twice the cost in taxes to sin, if we choose to sin, you know?
Moving would work in tandem since states with lower tobacco taxes generally have much lower costs of living than states with high tobacco taxes.
The trouble with excessive sin taxes is a loss of liberty.
There is little social utility in a piece of chewing gum, or bottle of soda pop, or a candy bar, or even coffee (although for me it’s a necessity). Motorcycles and speed boats and private planes are pure luxuries.
Even milk, butter and cheese aren’t essential to live.
Yet governments don’t usually target those things.
In Missouri you can still buy a two dollar package of cigarettes or a dollar package of “pipe” tobacco, or two cigars for a dollar, excise tax paid.
Let’s hope that continues.
We should have the option, to sin.
There is little social utility in a piece of chewing gum, or bottle of soda pop, or a candy bar, or even coffee (although for me it’s a necessity). Motorcycles and speed boats and private planes are pure luxuries.
Even milk, butter and cheese aren’t essential to live.
Yet governments don’t usually target those things.
In Missouri you can still buy a two dollar package of cigarettes or a dollar package of “pipe” tobacco, or two cigars for a dollar, excise tax paid.
Let’s hope that continues.
We should have the option, to sin.
Wait until the VAT tax comes to the USA. Our -Ahem- esteemed politicians won't be able to keep themselves from instituting this sometime soon to increase revenues to match increasing spending.
Luxuries all! Nary a one is essential for a good life. Just self-indulgences, no different than luxury vehicles, smoking and so forth. One of the problems with many people is they are unable to differentiate between luxuries and necessities and honestly believe self-indulgence is a "right." We are allowed to pursue happiness but, not guaranteed to attain such. Gotta work hard for happiness if your "happiness (self-indulgence) level" is a high maintenance one. Not a thing wrong with a luxury auto if you can afford it. Smoking, gum chewing, sodas, coffee, tea, booze are all what excess income should be used for, self-indulgence.
I first learned about VAT tax’s almost fifty years ago, in college.
Every step of the manufacturing chain there’s a hidden tax added. The final customer pays it, of course, but he doesn’t have to add it to the retail price.
We do that here with gasoline at the pump. Let’s say the pump reads $3.15 a gallon. The wholesaler pays a federal and state road tax, in Missouri a total of fifty cents or so, and adds it to the gas station owner’s price.
The danger is the customer pretends he’s not taxed.
Eh, this is all over my head. I agree with the general sentiment expressed though that it’s not getting cheaper to enjoy tobacco. Luckily, I’ve enjoyed enough blends to know what I like and if need be I can always dump a grand or two on my favorites—at my smoking pace that should be fine.
Here in Maine, if I'm not too out-of-date on this, sales tax is 5.5% and meals tax is 7%.
But you guys are lucky that your state hasn't outlawed mail-order pipe tobacco purchasing (yet?), like Maine has done.
But you guys are lucky that your state hasn't outlawed mail-order pipe tobacco purchasing (yet?), like Maine has done.
We pay it... it is just added after the retail price.
The desire to make serfs of the peasantry by those who deem themselves in charge is too un-resistible.
The only cure were those voiced by Jefferson, and although many are they who would answer his cry to arms to refresh the Tree of Liberty anew, one must remember it wasn't his blood that was spilled.
The Black Flag is defamed all too often by those whom it offers to defame. It takes no prisoners and it leaves only chaos in its wake.
Do you know of any other solution?
I didn't think so.
Complaining about taxes is as old as the hills.