Jackson Jambalaya

Why weep? this will be a financial boon to the State coffers which are in dire need of help since so much of the sales tax we have depended upon forever has been taken away by internet purchases which until now, have not been collected. Plus the incentive of no tax has harmed our local merchants. I applaud the measure....so should we all!!

Great news for pensions and roads!

Make sure it gets spent right.

This is nonsense. Only the road road that is used to deliver the product has anything to do with the state. This is covered by the fuel tax. But, there is the state, with their filthy palm out, waiting for their handout, which they will go and waste. This is robbery.

Weep?? This conservative is lauding this long overdue ruling. Mom and Pop stores have too long been screwed by the 1992 Quill ruling. Its not so much that the state will collect several million more in sales taxes (definition - taxes on sales, which has been going on without being taxed equally) but this evens the playing field for those that still maintain a facility, provides service, and employs folks.

Great ruling, and an interesting mix of Supremes that joined together in the ruling. (Note: the main opposition was that the Courts should not do this but should leave it up to Congress - interesting, considering it was the courts that created the inequity. But that's a story for a different day.)

Just because it's legal doesn't mean Tater will let it go through. There are MANY conservatives who understand that taxes aren't fun but are needed to fund basic things in state government. If tater is too dumb to see this these conservatives will hold their nose and vote hood in the next election.

It’s good that companies like Amazon no longer have an advantage over our local businesses. Shop Local gets a big boost.

Its just more of our money for them to waste.

Here we go again. Sales taxes are not why local merchants are hurting. The fact that local merchants want to charge 200, 300, 400% MORE FOR THE EXACT SAME PRODUCT is why they've lost business.

@ June 21, 2018 at 2:03 PM

Agreed! The biggest concern is whether or not the state legislature will do the right thing with the money and invest it back into the state's infrastructure? Or will they do what they do best, find some way to shell it in corporate welfare?

1) we should always weep over new taxes

2) what local merchants?

It is about time. They finally got this one right.

This is not a new tax. Ms has had a law on the books for years that requires that if you purchase an item online you shall pay the taxes. The issue has been the federal law that is now cleared by the court. Please research the law. Many legislators don't know about the law but that's to be expected.

2:48, thanks for your (uneducated) opinion on this subject. Next time, though, why don't you check up on your facts before you opine in public.

IF one were to accept your theory that the only reason to collect taxes is to support those things required to complete the transaction - a totally irrelevant concept, but to keep you happy - let me point out that to deliver a product to most residences in the state, the delivery would be across local, municipal streets. Those streets are not built, maintained, or supported by the fuel (gas) tax. They are paid for by real estate (property) taxes and sales taxes. Only state and federal roads are maintained by your fuel tax.

Come back again, though, when you want to offer worthless concepts. It keeps us all on our toes in anticipation.

Great, more of our money going to the wasteful government in Jackson. I don't know what kind of "conservative" above claimed to be voting for Jim Hood to raise everyone's taxes next year, but this conservative wants LESS of my money going to the government, not more!

@3:33 PM. Here is my story.

I have to purchase a medical device 4-5 times per year. I buy it online for $116.63 including Mississippi sales tax. It arrives directly to my door. There is no direct charge for shipping.

Our local medical equipment supplier wants $179.76 including Mississippi sales tax for the same device. Plus, the supplier doesn't stock the device.

I can provide other examples.

I'm more than happy to support local businesses. But not until they become more price competitive. It was never about avoiding the sales tax. Sorry.

5:04 - absolutely no argument there. If you can get the same, or better, product for less money by ordering online, it makes only sense. I've done it twice this week for the same reason - neither time was it for the 'savings' of the sales tax.

But, at the same time I feel that the collection of a "sales tax" on a "sale" is appropriate - and if the vendor in either case had charged the sales tax it wouldn't have made a difference in my purchase action. Just as I don't believe there should be a difference in a vendor who sales a product to me out his front door down the street or from whom I order their product while typing on my laptop. Either way, it is a sale and as long as sales taxes are being collected, they should be collected on all sales. Not because I like to pay more for the products, but an even playing field is appropriate. Just as it is appropriate for those that do pay the "use tax" on ordered products and those that are tax cheats and do not pay that tax.

As to the argument that it is more money for the government to spend, that's a discussion that can be addressed in a different direction - if all sales were taxed, maybe the government could reduce some portion of the tax base, just as our legislature has done the last three years.

Can I buy weed on line and avoid the problems some encounter on Interstate 20 in Rankin? I would rather not have my name mentioned in the paper or on this blog.

4:52- You must be one of those dumb liberals with their hand out waiting for a handout. Either that, or a local small business owner that can’t come up with a business plan that can compete in a free trade environment. This tax is illegal. Try again silly, silly troll.

Just playing devil's advocate here. I run a small one person business. I am mostly a service business but I create and ship some products. Last week I sent one order to arizona and one order to Nebraska. If those states make me collect sales tax on my few and far between orders, I will just quit doing business in those states, cause I don't have the time or manpower to file a sales tax report and payment to every state I may send a product to... so do I close up shop or only offer my products in Mississippi??

This is going to be a nightmare for smaller businesses who sell online. I work for a local company who has to charge sales tax in 6 states where we have employees and it's a big job to update the tax tables every month. The taxes aren't consistent even across a state and vary by postal code and product class. This law will hurt the small businesses much more than help them by tying them up in red tape and adding another big expense to their costs making it even tougher to compete with the big online retailers. By the way, Amazon has already been charging sales tax in every state and it sure hasn't hurt their sales compared to the Mom and Pop shops. Just another thinly veiled cash grab by the Republicans to push more of the tax burden on the poor so they can cut tax on big business and the .01%

7:19....yes, probably. But this day in age, its actually not that complicated, just set up an Amazon store or Ebay store and they process everything. Its just a matter of time until it is seamless. Blame 50 state legislatures for making the rules so complicated in the first place.

Did you know that they people that sell trinkets at county festivals remit sales tax? Cities are forcing all the vendors to do so. If they can figure it out, you probably can.

Don't worry Mr. Small Business Owner, we will have an App out in a few days that will simplify and streamline managing sales tax collection and remittance.

We put people on the moon almost 50 years ago....do you think small businesses can register online and report sales and remit sales taxes?

Most of y’all are trolls I know.

But some of y’all are down right stupid.

Please explain how this will have any effect at all on 'mom and pop' stores back home. Do you actually think people will stop shopping on the internet because of a tax?

By the way: "I have to purchase a medical device 4-5 times per year. I buy it online for $116.63 including Mississippi sales tax. It arrives directly to my door. There is no direct charge for shipping."

Enema kits are nowhere near that expensive in Pearl.

636, not a small business owner, and on opposite end of spectrum from bring a liberal. Nice try at deflection though - confirms though your intellect level. Can't address the point made thst your objection to this tax was illogical. And again showing your lack of comprehension saying ',this tax is illegal'. Obviously you fail to comprehend even the basic rule of law in this country. Let me try to explain in simple, short words you might be able to understand: three branches of government; the third rIles on legality; it did so this week; said law was legal; the fact you disagree doesn't matter, and nobody gives a s##t that you have declared it otherwise.

It's funny that so many are saying the local business should just suck it up and get their prices in line with online retailers, but at the same time lamenting that the poor little online retailers are going to have to collect sales taxes like everyone else.

I guess this means I will have to get a tax id from every state now in order to sell online. This is going to kill small startup companies.

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Yachts. Mansions. Extravagant dinner parties. Life is good for the founders of one of the nation's biggest government debt collectors.

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Just who and where are these 'local businesses' and 'mom and pop stores' that are being affected by internet sales? There's an Ace Hardware in Madison, but I doubt anybody buys bolts and nails and quickrete over the internet. I thought the big box stores was the culprit....now I learn it's internet shopping.

People are inherently lazy and they will shop and buy in whichever manner is easiest and convenient, regardless of a damned tax.

When Gallo gets back off vacation, he will axe George Flaggs what should be done with this mountain of new cash.

Hey 4:52 we tried to tell them this about Obamacare.

Phil Bryant is busily scratching his head this week (and scanning several USM yearbooks) wondering who he can appoint to oversee the new bureaucracy. I say he should appoint his daughter. She's a lawyer and all and those are really smart people. No way she would be relegated to that dump-building out in Clinton though.

Dump building in Clinton? Obviously you haven't been to the DOR in several years. They moved out of the dump building (repurposed warehouse) into one of the finest office buildings in the state.

Don't have a problem with the tax, but who's gonna hold their feet to the fire to make sure that the collected tax goes to serve the people? No one. Oh, they're saying it will immediately be put to good use in filling the infrastructure issues, but that will not happen.