Sales Tax

Shoppers laden with bags of summer sale items and school clothes for children trundled out of the Gallery at Harborplace Sunday after taking advantage of first day of the state's tax-free week. Until Sunday, Aug. 15, Maryland's 6 percent sales tax will not be imposed on articles of clothing or shoes that cost less than $100, even if the total bill exceeds that figure. Many stores are luring shoppers with additional discounts during the week, which is intended to boost sales during a time of year when business is often lagging.

Regarding the Internet sales tax ("Online sales tax bill should be improved, and passed," May 16), I suppose that if I go to Delaware and purchase something and since I am from Maryland, shouldn't that retailer charge and forward the sales tax? What difference does it make whether I purchase it there and have my wife carry it and bring it to Maryland or have UPS carry it? It's still mine. I purchased it, and I suppose it should be taxed. I also suppose it should be my moral responsibility to tell the retailer, "I'm from Maryland so charge me tax. Here, check my I.D., and forward the tax to Maryland.

Shoppers laden with bags of summer sale items and school clothes for children trundled out of the Gallery at Harborplace Sunday after taking advantage of first day of the state's tax-free week. Until Sunday, Aug. 15, Maryland's 6 percent sales tax will not be imposed on articles or clothing or shoes that cost less than $100, even if the total bill exceeds that figure. Many shoppers are luring shoppers with additional discounts during the week, which is intended to boost sales during a time of year when business is often lagging.

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bill that would allow states to require Internet retailers to collect sales taxes on behalf of local governments. This bill has flaws, but they could be fixed in the House. It should be passed. I don't like the idea of the state and local governments collecting more taxes - they know no limits to their capacity to tax and squander our hard-earned dollars - but the current situation is unfair and bad economic policy. (Also, Marylanders stand to gain from this legislation in another way, because of a state law that will reduce future increases in gasoline taxes if taxing Internet sales is allowed.)

State bean counters blame the crash in sales-tax collections on high gas prices and a weak economy. I bet there's something else going on. In January, Maryland's sales-tax rate rose by a fifth. To 6 percent. If you don't think that's compelling more people to avoid the tax by shopping on the Web or driving to "tax-free" Delaware, keep reading. Given Maryland's budget hole, raising the sales tax from 5 percent to 6 percent was probably necessary. But as much as small states such as Maryland like to steer their own destinies, forces from across the border often cause detours.

Four days after a Maryland General Assembly session that produced a first-ever income-tax cut, House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. yesterday renewed his call for a thorough examination of the state's entire tax structure.Addressing a conference in Baltimore, the Cumberland Democrat said the state's income-tax burden is the fourth-highest nationwide. He said the corporate tax burden is the fifth-lowest and the sales-tax burden is the sixth-lowest."That suggests to me it needs some rebalancing," said Taylor, a potential rival of Gov. Parris N. Glendening.

IN A TIME of plenty, it's ironic that Maryland's governor and legislators are talking about raising taxes. Yet there is a pressing need to spend more in a key area: transportation.While Maryland's general revenue funds are flush -- mainly from fast-rising income-tax and sales-tax receipts -- the flow of gas-tax money into the transportation trust fund hasn't kept pace with road and mass-transit demands.Unless something is done quickly, Maryland won't have cash for light rail and highways and to replace the crumbling Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Maryland's multiple taxes on leasing a new car, which can cost motorists more than 10 percent of the value of the vehicle, would be significantly cut under a bill proposed by a Baltimore legislator.Sen. Barbara A. Hoffman, a Democrat who heads the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, said Maryland motorists who lease "are getting hit with a double whammy or even a triple whammy" by the levies, which are more than three times those imposed in neighboring Virginia and are the highest in the mid-Atlantic region.

Gov. Martin O'Malley on Wednesday defended his proposal to ask 20 percent of Marylanders to pay more income taxes, calling his budget plan "a balanced approach" that preserves funding for priorities such as education. At a budget briefing, the governor also explained why, after years of pressure, he decided to propose shifting more than $200 million in teacher pension costs from the state to the counties. On his proposed changes to the income tax — the rate would stay the same but deductions and exemptions would be phased out for those making over six figures — O'Malley said: "I don't like doing this.

Online shoppers would have to pay state sales taxes on more purchases under legislation that advanced in the U.S. Senate on Monday - but Marylanders could also wind up paying a smaller increase in gasoline taxes. Bricks-and-mortar stores have long sought changes to a federal law that they say gives online companies such as eBay an advantage: Most Internet retailers don't charge sales tax, and most consumers ignore requirements to declare their online purchases for state taxing purposes.

It is wrong to collect sales tax from online sales by the state where the customer lives ("Senate OKs online sales tax" May 6). If I take the highway to another state, I pay tax in that state. If I take the information superhighway, I should pay sales tax in the point-of-sale state. This is most likely the state where the store is located or where the product was created, manufactured, processed, warehoused, designed, grown, etc. Sales tax should not be a way for state governments to make money without contributing anything to the commerce process.

The Senate voted Monday to allow states to assess a sales tax on purchases from Amazon.com, eBay and other online retailers in a bipartisan measure that would also reduce the increase planned for Maryland's gas tax. The bill, which passed 69-27, would resolve a long-standing complaint of brick-and-mortar business owners, who say they struggle to compete with online companies that don't charge sales tax. The legislation requires Internet sellers to...

It is amazing that the U.S. Senate has been paralyzed to the extent that it is unable to pass legislation favored by 90 percent of Americans requiring simple background checks on gun purchasers but at the same time is poised to sock it to consumers by requiring Internet marketers to collect state and local sales tax on online purchases ("Click and pay," April 24). While The Sun's editors argue that the present sales tax collection system gives out-of-state Internet marketers an unfair advantage over in-state marketers, they ignore the fact that in-state sellers have an inherent advantage over online sellers: They are closer to the consumer and the point of delivery and therefore have substantially lower delivery costs than out-of-state sellers.

I see in the Sunpapers that Maryland wants to tax us on the things we buy on the Internet ("Bill to require sales tax for online purchases advances in Senate," April 22). Don't we pay enough taxes now? The state seems to tax everything that is not nailed down. We need to vote these people out of office. Who are these people telling us that the gas tax will be lower? You know that will never happen. Our motto for Maryland should be, "The state that taxes us to death. " Gerald Yamin, Pikesville Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Your recent editorial on stormwater fees made me burst out laughing with tears streaming from my eyes - hopefully, liquid that will not one day to be considered taxable run-off ("The rain tax sham," April 18). You opine that "we think it's far more sensible to expect polluters to clean up after themselves - and in this case, that means all of us. " In response to that statement, I couldn't help but think of the Sunday morning televangelist shouting at us "repent, you nasty polluters, repent!"

Imagine you are a benevolent monarch and you have the power to institute a sales tax. (Even benevolent government has to be financed, after all.) Would you set one up that gave preference to sellers located outside your kingdom and penalized your own subjects? Would you go further and discourage those outsiders from even setting up shop in your country? Of course you wouldn't. That would be crazy. And while there are plenty of examples of insane heads of state, they aren't usually beloved by their people.

The Senate voted Monday to allow states to assess a sales tax on purchases from Amazon.com, eBay and other online retailers in a bipartisan measure that would also reduce the increase planned for Maryland's gas tax. The bill, which passed 69-27, would resolve a long-standing complaint of brick-and-mortar business owners, who say they struggle to compete with online companies that don't charge sales tax. The legislation requires Internet sellers to...

As the owner of a flower shop in Aberdeen, I am very concerned with new legislation currently being considered in Congress: the "Marketplace Fairness Act" and the "Marketplace Equity Act," which will add sales tax to Internet sales. This will disproportionately impact small businesses like mine - creating a significant administrative and financial burden that will make it necessary for me to pass on additional costs to my customers. In today's economy, it is irresponsible to place additional burdens on small businesses, which are the engine of our economy.

Online shoppers would have to pay state sales taxes on more purchases under legislation that advanced in the U.S. Senate on Monday - but Marylanders could also wind up paying a smaller increase in gasoline taxes. Bricks-and-mortar stores have long sought changes to a federal law that they say gives online companies such as eBay an advantage: Most Internet retailers don't charge sales tax, and most consumers ignore requirements to declare their online purchases for state taxing purposes.

For the most part, our representatives in Annapolis have completely lost touch with the people they represent. The hard-working people in this state are being taxed to death. The gas tax hike is only the latest slap in the face to struggling families ("House approves increase in gas tax," March 23). Since Gov. Martin O'Malley took office, he along with other elected Democrats have raised every fee and tax they could. The sales tax was increased, the income tax was increased, MVA fees have increased.