Comments on: Secret Tax Policy

By: Clancy

Clancy — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:56:38 +0000

I into a local store to purchase a part for a hobby. They asked how I would be paying, “CASH” I said. He asked if I would like to pay sales tax and I said no. I love Cash.

By: Treva

Treva — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:56:21 +0000

Since I haven’t done my own tax return in many years it has only come to my attention in the last couple of years that I am supposed to keep track of catalog or internet purchases. While I have a nice bookkeeping program on my computer it has never been set up to keep track of books bought from Amazon from those bought at Borders. What kind of records do those idiots (at the tax commission) think the average citizens keep? Most people I know don’t even reconcile their bank account (if they only knew how many mistakes banks make) much less keep track of whether they got the blue sweater from Coldwater Creek’s catalog and the red one from Macys at the mall. I suppose some of the catalog companies do collect sales tax – most of us wouldn’t notice unless we had a very large purchase. It is stupid to have laws on the books that are unenforcible.

By: Pizzaman

Pizzaman — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 15:17:07 +0000

The bottom line is that if I order from the Cabela’s catalog, I’m saving 6%. In my view, that’s good, and I appreciate Cabela’s standing up for their consumers. I’d love to save 6% on my next Dell purchase as well. I hope they make the same move.

EDITOR NOTE–We can only assume you declare the purchase on your Idaho Income tax form and send the boys at the tax commission their 6% as required.

By: Treva

Treva — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 00:46:40 +0000

Hey, Joe, I have lived here a lot longer than you, but I couldn’t have stated the problems better than you. Get out your lantern and start looking for an honest man. Take a really big lunch, dinner, breakfast, etc. you’ll need it.

By: Joe Moran

Joe Moran — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 00:17:48 +0000

I ‘ve lived in Idaho 7 years and all I can say is you have a state legislature controlled by a totally corrupt one-party system that refuses to represent the people. Secret tax deals are a small part of the rot…This state government has created the largest number of citizens living in poverty as well as a majority unable to get basic health care. Idaho has more of it’s citizens in prison at any one time than most other states. Idaho is the onl;y state that refuses to recompense those suffering from cancer from past nuclear testing.

In short… the Idaho state legislature is one of the most pathetic,un-American groups any one could possibly be confronted by.

By: Slim Jim

Slim Jim — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 04:36:00 +0000

I sat at the computer yesterday and did some on-line shopping at the Apple Store. Purchased a new MacBook and paid $69.80 in sales tax, yet they are not in Idaho. But then, I am quite unable to use my MacBook to hunt, fish, trap or kill (ie to feel like a real MAN, an IDAHO MAN). nope. So I guess I do not deserve a break from sales tax.

By: j

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 15:20:47 +0000

Dearest Government Leaders,

Please give a good deal to a Super Target Store out to the SW….this Walmart on overland is getting slower and ickier every day.

I hope WM didn’t pay too much for the improvements…. I’ve never seen such bad workmanship…. storng indicator to me that WM box stores are on autopilot.

By: thistle

thistle — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 02:51:17 +0000

Sorry for the confusion Razz,

I am on your side all the way. I was trying for a note of irony but, apparently, I am not a very good writer.

One point I inneffectually tried to make is that, beyond not being trransparent, they seem to be completely arbitrary. One sporting goods store gets a good deal, another doesn’t. One discount store gets a good deal, another doesn’t. They shouldn’t do it in secret, but even then, I would expect a certain amount of consistency.

Sometimes, when I am feeling generous, I think the reason many of Idaho’s “leaders” do so much of their work in secret is not because they are dispensing special deals, but simply because they don’t want their constituents to know how totally incompetent they are.

In a past life my employment reuired me to monitor the revenue and taxation committee at the legislature. In that capacity I heard the phrase, “all we want is a level playing field” countless times. The trouble is, they are total hypocrits. They have never cared about openness and it is once again demonstrated that they don’t give a rat’s rectum about fairness.

To paraphrase one of the opeing lines in the movie The War of the Roses; What have you got if you have members of Idaho’s legislature and administration dead at the bottom of Luckly Peakl? Answer – An excellent start.

By: Razzbar

Razzbar — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 18:57:29 +0000

Thistle, are you trying to obfuscate? This isn’t about the type of merchandise being sold (bullets or backpacks). It’s about equality and transparency.

One of the principles of a “just state” is that the law applies equally to everybody. Nobody gets special treatment. Nobody is above the law. WHY should this business get a sales tax break that nobody else gets?

The other issue is transparancy: Don’t you think the people should know what the government is doing? Shouldn’t the government conduct it’s business up front and on the table? Come on, security and privacy aren’t at issue here…

It would be easy for a cynic to believe that this deal was made and kept secret because of some … “sugar”.

By: Thistle

Thistle — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 13:00:56 +0000

I wonder why Cabella even bothered to negotiate with the tax commission. They could have simply followed the Commissioner Yzaguirre model.

I don’t remember all the details, but it seems to me he collected the taxes and used them for his own purposes. When he got caught he turned the funds over, reluctantly, and never faced prosecution.

With guys like that in office, it should not be any surprise that the taxes a company pays, if any, are negotiable.