Tax Warning

[cwpiperman]

From the MI Dept. of Treasury Website:
It's A Crime!

It's a crime to purchase cigarette's and other tobacco products by mail, over the internet, or in any other way unless the seller is properly licensed by the State of Michigan and each cigarette pack is affixed with a Michigan tobacco stamp. Violations are punishable by up to five years imprisonment, along with seizures of assets from anyone possessing illegally purchased cigarettes.
Wow.

 

[redglow]

I buy plenty of pipe tobacco from Michigan B&M's and not one of them ever has a tobacco tax stamp on them.

 

[jpmcwjr]

From the MI Dept. of Treasury Website:
It's A Crime!

It's a crime to purchase cigarette's and other tobacco products by mail, over the internet, or in any other way unless the seller is properly licensed by the State of Michigan and each cigarette pack is affixed with a Michigan tobacco stamp. Violations are punishable by up to five years imprisonment, along with seizures of assets from anyone possessing illegally purchased cigarettes.
Wow.

Indeed, wow. And Woe. It seems to fly in the face of ICC regs, but what do I know? I do know that the plural of cigarette does not have an apostrophe.

 

[ashdigger]

From the MI Dept. of Treasury Website:
It's A Crime!

It's a crime to purchase cigarette's and other tobacco products by mail, over the internet, or in any other way unless the seller is properly licensed by the State of Michigan and each cigarette pack is affixed with a Michigan tobacco stamp. Violations are punishable by up to five years imprisonment, along with seizures of assets from anyone possessing illegally purchased cigarettes.

Looks like it's more about loose cigarettes that pipe tobacco.

 

[warren]

I consider myself extremely lucky that my State relies on the "all bidness" to finance its functions. No state sales tax, no state income tax and ... wait for it ... the State is going to pay all of its residents around three grand just for living here last year. Alaska is the most socialist of the states and it's all paid for by "big oil." Life is wonderful!

 

[daniel7]

In Iceland I pay the taxes upon the receival of the goods. This system could work anywhere in the world and shouldn't close down online tobacco sales. The problem for me is that many online stores stopped to export out from their own country.

 

[dochudson]

It's A Crime!

It's a crime to purchase cigarette's and other tobacco products by mail, over the internet, or in any other way unless the seller is properly licensed by the State of Michigan and each cigarette pack is affixed with a Michigan tobacco stamp. Violations are punishable by up to five years imprisonment, along with seizures of assets from anyone possessing illegally purchased cigarettes.

The local Eagles got off easy the first time the tax man found liquor and cigs without Ohio tax stamps. The second time they found the same they shut them down never to reopen.

 

[cally454]

I remember back in the "startup" days of internet retailing. All the Elites said "have your little online purchases we won't tax" that was before anyone knew what it was to become. It's 3.5 TRILLION and growing. No way no how they're going to let that slide. Imagine a 7-8% take, it gets their cold hearts pumping.
I live in one of 5 states that have internet sales tax. I found that out the hard way. Thought I was being a genius driving all over the US picking up internet equipment purchases. Fast forward to a state audit. Had to cut them a fat check. They could care less if you're ignorant of the laws. My FIL was in software development for the state he said almost all of the spec software they wanted was to track just this sort of thing, behind the scenes of course.
They'll squash a tobacco retailer in a heartbeat. They've got a large percentage of those trillions they're working on.
It'll be here before you know it's all changing

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

the State is going to pay all of its residents around three grand just for living here last year

You'd have to pay me way more than $3K per year to live there.

 

[warren]

I also get get a huge reduction in property taxes due to my age. Age also means my vehicle is licensed and taxed only once, the tags are permanent. The climate is mild, thanks to the Japanese Current. All and all a very salubrious locale compared to the winters in the plains states and those which experience the "lake effect." Never too cold nor, too hot. It's a huge state with many climate zones (Arctic in the North, rain forests in the Southeast and just plain miserable on the Western coasts and Aleutians).
I can order tobaccos from around the world with no tax liability other than customs in limited cases. I get to augment my income with a bit of reasonably successful gold panning when I wish (8 hour drive to some great deposits). Riffle boxes are provided by the highway department, culverts. Bears, lynx, etc. trotting through the front yard. Great salt water boating is only an hour away from my house, Prince William Sound or the Gulf of Alaska. Neighbors are at least two acres away and screened by heavy timber on the mountainside. I can hunt everything from Bison to rabbits to bear, moose and elk with my camera, rifle or, a bow should I desire. There's a Nordstroms for the women folk, bars for the younger set, a decent tobacco shop, and great medical centers. Just everything an old, asocial codger could desire.
America is only a three hour flight away. Hawaii is available in the winter if "Spring Fever" takes hold in January.
What's not to like if one enjoys the out of doors in the extreme and the amenities of civilization. But, one does need a certain mental set to thrive here.

 

[warren]

Oops! Just saw a study which shows the USD is only worth 95 cents in Alaska. So ... there is that.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The asocial Codger part sold me. Can I stay with you until I find my own place? :clap:
I'm sure there are many aspects I'd enjoy. If my Son in Law gets the promotion to manage his company's Tampa territory, we'll be moving in the next few months. That's close enough to Harris where I can regularly visit and smoke his stash of aged tobacco.

 

[cigrmaster]

Mark, that would be awesome. I will gladly smoke my aged stash with you.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Fingers crossed Harris. :puffpipe: :puffpipe:

 

[instymp]

"Well, let's hope not. That "gravy train," (please, tell me where I can hop aboard that one?), is what helps all of the businesses here (who use the Internet for a portion or all of their sales), pay for their advertising here on pipesmagazine.com. I'd sure hate to lose my job and this great forum. And no sir, it would not be good for the B&M's either for what I thought would be obvious reasons. In case you have not heard, kania, the tobacco Nazi's are after all of us"
Tis not only the tobacco Nazi's one should worry about.

 

[tkcolo]

In Colorado, the major internet retailers collect it with the sale. Nobody really notices anymore. From my perspective, That needs to happen with all internet sales. It's not fair to local retailers. My two cents anyway.

 

[kola]

Just Obey !

 

[cossackjack]

tkcolo:

In Colorado, the major internet retailers collect it with the sale.

That is only State sales Tax.
You could be liable for additional Tobacco Excise tax, though CO has not yet pursued collecting the 40% manufactures' price (on internet sales). This is one factor in higher B&M prices.

As of January 2019:

Non-cigarette Tobacco Excise Taxes by State

 

[gatorlope]

Sorry, Jack- your link sounds interesting, but it didn’t take me anywhere!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Try this LINK!!