F---! California passes Net Tax

[Mercutio]

Someone can make this news later.

In a move that must obviously be meant to drive amazon and newegg out of business, the California State Legislature today passed a "net tax" bill requiring that sales tax be tacked on to all purchases in California.

Add on 8.25% to everything newegg sells, and suddenly its prices don't look so good.

 

[Mercutio]

Oh yeah. Link.

 

[blakerwry]

Someone can make this news later.

In a move that must obviously be meant to drive amazon and newegg out of business, the California State Legislature today passed a "net tax" bill requiring that sales tax be tacked on to all purchases in California.

Add on 8.25% to everything newegg sells, and suddenly its prices don't look so good.

Do you think this could mean that many online businesses will move out of state, and even out of country?

I guess it wouldn't make much difference to the state of California since they don't currently get any revenue currently from online businesses, and if the business moves they won't be missing out on anything...

 

[Mercutio]

A lot of those places are probably B&M too, even if B&M just means a 10x10 cinderblock building with a phone and a web connection.
If Gov. Davis signs this into law, yes, some of those businesses will no doubt virtually relocate to, say, Oregon, but I have a feeling that most of the majors (newegg, mwave, googlegear) hit their rock bottom prices from proximity to the Long Beach and its transport hub. De-centralizing from that may cause legal or organizational issues.

 

[SteveC]

I think (and hope) it only affects CA residents.

Alpert says the new law doesn't create a new tax; it just creates new enforcement for collecting an existing tax. The proposed new law not only requires sales taxes to be collected for Internet-based sales to businesses located in the state, but also phone and fax orders, as well.

State Senator Alpert issued a press release Thursday stating the bill passed and that it clarified "that an out-of-state retailer is obligated to collect tax on sales to California customers if it has representatives operating in the state who repair or service property bought from the retailer; it has an ownership interest in a California business; or it sells the same products under the same name as the California business."

The way I read this, businesses have to charge CA residents sales tax if they have operations in CA. This is the way it's always been in NJ, and many other states. It doesn't mean that out of state residents will be charged CA sales tax.

 

[time]

Whew! That's a relief. We're all so used to crazy legislation these days, it did not seem at all impossible that they were going to set a dangerous precedent.

 

[Pradeep]

I agree with SteveC.

It seems to me that this only affects California residents. If they purchase from an Internet company that also has a physical presence in CA, then they are charged sales tax. I believe several states already have such laws. Dell Home already charge sales tax to customers located in some states that they have a physical presence in.

Step away from the crack pipe M. :mrgrn:

 

[SteveC]

Whew! That's a relief. We're all so used to crazy legislation these days, it did not seem at all impossible that they were going to set a dangerous precedent.

Like banning Oreos?

 

[honold]

labels should have to indicate transfat immediately

 

[blakerwry]

labels should have to indicate transfat immediately

doesn't the ingredient list show that they contain partially hydrogenated oils?

duh, this is a no brainer... lots of foods contain transfats, people have known about the healthrisks(if they pay attention to such stuff) for over 5 years (probably 10, but I want to be safe).

In the end it's probably no worse than eatting regular butter. The way people in western Civilization maintain their diet I hardly think it would change their eating decisions if they knew which products contain transfat and which don't.

I know if I want an Oreo I don't give a hoot what's in it. I just eat it.

 

[time]

What's wrong with butter? :-?

 

[blakerwry]

What's wrong with butter? :-?

cholesterol.... Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with butter. Everything in moderation.

 

[jtr1962]

Whew! That's a relief. We're all so used to crazy legislation these days, it did not seem at all impossible that they were going to set a dangerous precedent.

Like banning Oreos?

When will people wake up and finally realize we can't legislate our way to a safe, healthy society nor should we try? In the end everything that the ruling class feels is unhealthy or inappropriate will be banned. Nobody will be able to make decisions for themselves. Kind of reminds me of that awful politically correct society in the movie Demolition Man where everything unhealthy or unwholesome was banned. I think I would seriously consider killing myself if society ever got to that point.

 

[jtr1962]

cholesterol.... Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with butter. Everything in moderation.

The few times I eat bread with butter or make cinnamon toast I always choose butter over margarine. Margarine tastes disgusting. Always has, always will. Ditto for 1% and 2% milk. I'm not going to sweat a little extra cholesterol when a ten mile bike ride more than compensates for it. It's almost hilarious watching people counting calories or grams of fat when a little less lethargy will solve the problem.

 

[blakerwry]

cholesterol.... Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with butter. Everything in moderation.

The few times I eat bread with butter or make cinnamon toast I always choose butter over margarine. Margarine tastes disgusting. Always has, always will. Ditto for 1% and 2% milk. I'm not going to sweat a little extra cholesterol when a ten mile bike ride more than compensates for it. It's almost hilarious watching people counting calories or grams of fat when a little less lethargy will solve the problem.

I prefer 2% milk and margarine myself... I grew up on both, so maybe I'm just used to the tastes... in a "they just taste the way they should" kinda way...

 

[Handruin]

Same with me, I grew up drinking 1% and 2%, so I never buy whole milk (although I like it on occasions). I'm mixed on the butter part. I like both so I switch back and forth. I guess it depends where I'm using it.

 

[timwhit]

I don't like butter. It's too hard and doesn't have to taste that I like best. Country Crock...oh ya.

 

[Fushigi]

Skim milk & I Can't Believe it's not Butter. I was raised on 2% or whole milk (don't recall anymore); a few years back I went to 1% for about a month, then to skim. Now it's what tastes normal to me. Going straight from whole/2% to skim is a shock, but using 1% as a transition eases the process. Skim is also generally cheaper.

My first wife got me to switch to margarine. I settled on the I Can't Believe sometime later. I don't remember when.

Butter is still best when baking, but we honestly don't taste a significant difference between butter and the I Can't Believe line.

Back in the late 80s, when margarine was around 69 to 79 cents a pound, I managed a couple of data centers. The lead operator for one site used to work for Nabisco. Apparently the 69 cent margarine cost a whopping 4 cents to make. Now, what do you imagine the motive is for getting people to move away from butter?

Country Crock tastes too artificial to me, but it's tolerable. The inlaws use it so I've adapted.

- Fushigi

 

[Howell]

I grew up on 4% and butter with skim also available in the fridge. For my own purchases I've settled on 2% and regular butter. I like Country crock OK. Skim milk/1% tastes to much like water.

I'll eat just about anything put before me though.

 

[Pradeep]

Full fat milk and real butter. Country Crock simply has no taste compared to butter.

 

[Mercutio]

I never had 2% milk, real butter or mayonaisse before I went off to college. Now they all strike me as some kind of luxury.

 

[blakerwry]

talk about a hijacked thread.

 

[honold]

doesn't the ingredient list show that they contain partially hydrogenated oils?

yeah, but unless they state what % of fat is mono and what % is poly (which isn't a requirement, and most non-healthy foods don't) it's impossible to determine what amount of it is transfat

duh, this is a no brainer... lots of foods contain transfats, people have known about the healthrisks(if they pay attention to such stuff) for over 5 years (probably 10, but I want to be safe).

http://www.ftc.gov/be/v000003.htm

fda survey in 1995 showed 90% of people didn't know what trans fats were, and i don't suspect the situation is much better now.

In the end it's probably no worse than eatting regular butter.

#1 is low transfat margarine, #2 is butter, #3 is 'normal' transfat margarine

The way people in western Civilization maintain their diet I hardly think it would change their eating decisions if they knew which products contain transfat and which don't.

why penalize the people that pay attention? everyone has a right to know, whether they use the knowledge or not.

 

[honold]

When will people wake up and finally realize we can't legislate our way to a safe, healthy society nor should we try?

i honestly don't believe getting oreos banned is his intention. it appears to be a rather ingenious way of taking a well-known, well-loved product and using an over-the-top, newsworthy lawsuit against it to increase public awareness of transfat - which it has accomplished.

the suit uses oreos as an example, but the target is clearly transfat labeling.

 

[honold]

I prefer 2% milk and margarine myself... I grew up on both, so maybe I'm just used to the tastes... in a "they just taste the way they should" kinda way...

yeah, tastes just like some other creature's milk should

 

[honold]

http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=0007C5B6-7152-1DF6-9733809EC588EEDF is a good write-up on the food pyramid and how it sucks (makes liberal mention of transfats)

 

[Buck]

...but I have a feeling that most of the majors (newegg, mwave, googlegear) hit their rock bottom prices from proximity to the Long Beach and its transport hub. De-centralizing from that may cause legal or organizational issues.

The connection is a bit more indirect Mercutio. Many of the large distributors such as Ingram and ASI are in the same vicinity as newegg and mwave. But of course, ASI and Ingram are there because of the Long Beach harbor.

 

[honold]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&e=8&u=/ap/oreo_suit

you can private message me to tell me how right i was if you don't want to clutter the thread

 

[blakerwry]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&e=8&u=/ap/oreo_suit

you can private message me to tell me how right i was if you don't want to clutter the thread

I thought it was quite obvious what he was trying to accomplish honold. But if it makes you feel any better I'll tell you that you could put a picture of Young Einstein as your avatar so that we can all know how intellignet you really are. :jokecolor:

 

[honold]

oh i'm not that intellignet

it may be obvious i was also kidding. i was somewhat disappointed to see the lack of conversation about transfats/labeling, but hey, it is a hijack

 

[blakerwry]

oh i'm not that intellignet

it may be obvious i was also kidding. i was somewhat disappointed to see the lack of conversation about transfats/labeling, but hey, it is a hijack

haha... maybe i should be changing my avitar? It's always nice to talk to you Honold.

 

[jtr1962]

i was somewhat disappointed to see the lack of conversation about transfats/labeling, but hey, it is a hijack

I wish I could count how many posts or topics I thought for sure would provoke lots of conversation but ended up with almost nobody interested. My only conclusion on the lack of conversation about transfat/labeling is that nobody is interested because a)they already know about it and adjust their diet accordingly b)they don't really care about analyzing every last ingredient in everything they eat. The news media doesn't help either by saying first one type of food is good for you, then later that it's bad for you, and still later it's bad but not too bad. My own personal conclusions-eat what you enjoy but in moderation, and avoid too much fat or meat since both are bad for you in large quantities. I'm not going to obsess over every gram of fat or every mislabeled ingredient, but I will avoid foods that seem overprocessed or have too many artificial ingredients. Hence my avoidance of margarine, anything with nutrasweet or saccharine, anything with olestra, and all medications except aspirin or penicillin(only when I have a prescription for it). I'd love to avoid air pollution as well, but short of going to Antarctica that's really not possible. The suburbs are no solution there either since a good portion of your time is spent in an automobile, breathing the exhausts of the drivers ahead of you. The net effect is probably far worse than a city dweller who never drives and only encounters air pollution when they walk near a road. I know I get nauseous after riding in any car for more than a few minutes, and it's not motion sickness(heck, if I can stand riding the NYC subway I know I'm immune to motion sickness).

 

[Howell]

I wasn't interested in the discussion because I don't eat.
Which reminds me of the time I got the magazine saleswoman off the phone by telling her that I didn't read. He thought I meant I didn't read for a hobby until I told her I didn't read at all.

Seriously though I've not heard of transglobowhatsits and I don't care. See the sig.

 

[fool]

The news media doesn't help either by saying first one type of food is good for you, then later that it's bad for you, and still later it's bad but not too bad

But anxiety is always bad for you. So eat, drink, and get merry enough to burn of the calories,( either that of turn of the heating/AC and let homeostasis do it for you).

 

[blakerwry]

I wasn't interested in the discussion because I don't eat.
Which reminds me of the time I got the magazine saleswoman off the phone by telling her that I didn't read. He thought I meant I didn't read for a hobby until I told her I didn't read at all.

Seriously though I've not heard of transglobowhatsits and I don't care. See the sig.

You got a transvestite call center worker? ewww...