This is a tax rant post.  Ignore if you don't feel like listening.  I do plan on putting up a quilt post in the next day or two.

I do believe in paying taxes.  I pay honestly and don't complain much.  At least until today.

I went to turn in my tax forms and was told I needed to bring in my online purchases information to be charged Nebraska sales taxes.  What???

When I dug further in, I'm supposed to pay city taxes on top of the sales tax for any purchase out of state to protect small businesses.  It's called "usage" tax and every state has it.  Check your state's website or look at your tax forms.  Since states are going broke, they are desperately seeking any way they can to get your money.

I call bullshit.

If a small store doesn't have it, I shouldn't be penalized for shopping out of state.  I'm not always looking for a bargain, I'm shopping because my small town has nothing.  I can't even special order fabric or supplies from my LQS because they are forced to buy in bulk.  Of course she loses out on a sale, so does the state and the city.  I feel bad, but I didn't put the stipulations on sales of orders.  The manufacturers did.

I refuse to pay a 30 dollar of what I consider a"shipping and driving fee" for gas just to go to Omaha or Lincoln to get something like a 10 dollar Smash Book to create revenue.  Of course Michael's in Omaha won't/can't ship it to me so they lose out on a sale creating revenue for them, the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska.  That is their loss.  I also recognize that having a shipping section for them would be pain, but more and more people that live in rural places like I do need that option.  I ordered mine from Amazon.com but a week later I did have to go to Omaha, stopped off at Michael's and bought stuff..because I was there.  

I see online shopping as a way to help small businesses.  I've ordered patterns from ladies like the "My Tweets" center panel.  No LQS carries those speciality patterns.  I've ordered thread and fabric from small businesses.  I believe in supporting local and small businesses..regardless of where they are.

I see it several ways for creating state revenue.

If I bought the online item in a state, I pay that state's sales tax for online purchases.  That creates legal revenue for that state.  I'm sorry my state loses that revenue, but that service isn't provided hence going to another state.  I have no problem paying sales taxes to the states I bought them from.  I shouldn't have to pay sales tax several times over for a purchase via that state and my state though.

No online retailer like Amazon.com should be exempt from paying sales tax or any other kind of taxes.  They are legal business and should pay taxes.  The states need to enforce sales taxes through retailers and is done at the time of my order.  I consider the retailers that don't offer sales tax guilty of tax fraud.  Not the consumer.

These businesses can't consider the online side of their store a separate entity and are exempt from sales taxes.

Welcome to Capitalism.  I have the right to purchase from any place in the USA and worldwide and from any store I choose.  I refuse to be bound to support the state I live in because it's upset about what I bought and where it came from.  States are also losing sales tax money because many people are out of a job and no longer buying items, not just from me shopping online.

I shop locally at places that do meet my needs.  I believe in supporting all businesses, big or small.  I support paying taxes.  I do not support the "usage" tax and consider it illegal and almost unconstitutional. I'll reluctantly pay it, but I do feel like writing a nasty letter to my state government about how stupid it is.

I do applaud places like Barnes & Noble, Apple, Best Buy and other retailers that put sales tax automatically in your purchase.

Rant over.