Klarinet Archive - Posting 000485.txt from 1999/07

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Artist quality instruments from local stores
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 19:44:43 -0400

At 12:08 PM 7/16/1999 -0600, Richard Bush wrote:
>I have a few thoughts on the way we do business.
>
>E-commerce is starting to change the way be buy. Mail order and brick and
>mortar have always been at opposite ends of the spectrum. Electronic commerce
>is an instantaneous twist to what Sears did at the turn of the century to
bring
>big city goods to rural Americans.
>
>Quite frankly, the playing field is far from level. The most disturbing thing
>about what e-commerce is doing to our villages, towns and cities is avoiding
>the local and state taxes. Many small music stores, and big ones too, loose
>sales because the difference is paying or not paying taxes. Someone, somehow
>has to pay taxes for services expected. What will we do when "Main Street" is
>all boarded up and we don't have money for schools, libraries, street
cleaning
>and everything else? We will all be charged---somehow and some way. The
social
>interaction of our communities will also change. It might come to a point
where
>all that will be down town will be drive through fast food places.
>
They have been developing all sorts of ingenious and complicated plans for
collecting sales taxes and sending them to the state of the customer's
residence. This strikes me as lunacy. If I travel from my home to Toledo,
Ohio and buy something in a store, they don't charge me Michigan sales tax
and send it to Lansing; they charge me OHIO tax and send it to Columbus!
Why don't they just start charging tax in the state where they are located
for each mail or electronic transaction, just like they would for a
walk-in? Problem solved. And states would have an incentive to LOWER
rather than raise the sales tax rates to entice the businesses to move there.

Another point, though. While you save sales tax, you have to pay shipping.
On many transactions, that cancels out the advantage.

Just my .06 worth (of Michigan sales tax).

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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