06-01-2021, 07:24 PM
91
Re: Return devolved powers to Westminster
Originally Posted by JBR
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I'm sure there must be quite a lot off 'popping over the border' when it comes to buying certain goods.Or do the sellers ask to see evidence of residence before they'll sell you things?
There is no national sales tax, but there is both a State and a local option so that even within one state prices can vary because of tax - and it's made more difficult to determine because prices are nearly always shown pre-tax.
Some states have a mandatory sales tax on certain things and some do not.
Which means that depending upon where you are & what you want to buy - as an example, food is taxed in some states but not in others - there can be a considerable difference.
Imagine the difference even a few percent can make on a family's food budget for example.
In practice though most Americans just get used to the tax levels where they live and don't bother with the difference ....... except maybe with larger purchases like vehicles.
No, sellers don't usually need proof of residence although there might be occasions when it's necessary.
But what it does mean is that online sellers charge taxes at their local rate, which is why "mail order" sales favour states with lower sales tax for example.
Can you understand why anyone would want to risk upsetting a tried & tested universal system that in general works well to change for a regional system like that - especially in a relatively smaller lower-populated country?
Because I can't.
It seems like a crazy system compared to ours.
06-01-2021, 08:43 PM
92
Re: Return devolved powers to Westminster
Originally Posted by Zaphod
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Regarding Sales Tax for the first: sometimes, yes.There is no national sales tax, but there is both a State and a local option so that even within one state prices can vary because of tax - and it's made more difficult to determine because prices are nearly always shown pre-tax.
Some states have a mandatory sales tax on certain things and some do not.
Which means that depending upon where you are & what you want to buy - as an example, food is taxed in some states but not in others - there can be a considerable difference.
Imagine the difference even a few percent can make on a family's food budget for example.
In practice though most Americans just get used to the tax levels where they live and don't bother with the difference ....... except maybe with larger purchases like vehicles.
No, sellers don't usually need proof of residence although there might be occasions when it's necessary.
But what it does mean is that online sellers charge taxes at their local rate, which is why "mail order" sales favour states with lower sales tax for example.
Can you understand why anyone would want to risk upsetting a tried & tested universal system that in general works well to change for a regional system like that - especially in a relatively smaller lower-populated country?
Because I can't.
It seems like a crazy system compared to ours.
With a state tax and a local tax it sounds to me that many retailers would relocate to the lower-tax areas (county?) of a state, or even the next state.
The people who run that area would suddenly find that no-one is shopping in their area and the next consequence would be that they'd lose retailers and their business taxes, assuming they have such a thing.
07-01-2021, 12:02 AM
93
Re: Return devolved powers to Westminster
Originally Posted by Bread
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We don't need a constitution, we have a parliamentary democracy and laws that can be changed.
07-01-2021, 09:41 AM
94
Re: Return devolved powers to Westminster
Originally Posted by Bruce
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To be fair you nearly have a parliamentary democracy but apparently Boris has promised to sort that out.
If our EU membership was constitutional though, we would never be able to leave. So, even though our parliamentary democracy isn't perfect, it is still better than having a country bound by BS principles that were put in place hundreds of years ago.
07-01-2021, 10:28 AM
95
Re: Return devolved powers to Westminster
Originally Posted by Bread
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I agree to an extent, Bruce. Our Parliamentary democracy has behaved appallingly over Brexit and we need to have action to stop it happening again.If our EU membership was constitutional though, we would never be able to leave. So, even though our parliamentary democracy isn't perfect, it is still better than having a country bound by BS principles that were put in place hundreds of years ago.
The nice thing about our Constitution is that it has to be updated by referendum, even better when it is changed you know exactly what you are going to get when it is voted on. As Brexit demonstrated that is a very important principle missing in a UK referendum.
07-01-2021, 11:03 AM
96
Re: Return devolved powers to Westminster
Originally Posted by Bruce
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I feel your pain, all that Magna Carta, common law and law of binding precedent dating back to Feudal times must be a real pain in the arse.The nice thing about our Constitution is that it has to be updated by referendum, even better when it is changed you know exactly what you are going to get when it is voted on. As Brexit demonstrated that is a very important principle missing in a UK referendum.
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