Americans like surprises. Actually, most of us just know our local sales tax rates and apply guesstimation on big ticket items (“it says $90, but that’s like almost $100 with tax”). Honestly, I don’t know why the price tags don’t include tax, especially when some items are taxed and others aren’t. E.g., essentials (food, diapers, etc.) are often not taxed or taxed at a lower rate.
On the other hand, the price of gasoline does include the tax and pumps usually have decals informing consumers exactly how much fuel/road tax they are paying per gallon. Because we’re nothing if not inconsistent.
I am also. I just hit my state dept of taxation website. Sales tax only applies to tangible goods. “Digitally delivered” goods are specifically exempted from both sales and use tax and consumer use tax.
Anyone concerned about their own situation should refer to their state’s department of taxation or department of revenue, and review the state’s sales and use tax guidelines.
I was going to make a list of states that tax digital sales, but it was easier to make a list of those that don’t (I was surprised how many do). The ones that definitely don’t (per the tax source I found) are:
Alaska
California
Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Kansas
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Virginia West Virginia (see below)
There are several states that don’t tax some digital goods, but do tax others (including software). These include New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. In those states and elsewhere, residents should refer to their DOT/DOR for details.
The thinking is that tax rates are ‘hidden’ when included in the advertised price. People can’t get upset and belligerent over a tax hike if they don’t know it’s happening. We have grown up with it here, and for the most part expect to calculate sales tax when we consider a purchase.
For the education of some here who don’t seem to understand how sales tax works:
In the U.S., the sales and use tax rate (and what it applies to) is determined by your state legislature. In Canada, you’ve got PST at the provincial level, and GST/HST at the federal level. In either case, these taxes are imposed by your elected officials. If you don’t like those taxes, make different choices at the ballot box or move to a place more inline with your values.
That said, businesses collect sales tax in accordance with the law. And to be clear: they remit those collected taxes to the taxing authority. They don’t get to keep the money.
CCP doesn’t profit at all from collecting sales tax. On the contrary, it costs them in the form of staff or outside tax services, because some accountant somewhere has to file CCP’s tax receipts with those 45+ different state, provincial, and federal governments. Each one of them has their own system for doing that, and it’s a lot to keep up with. As a small business owner myself, I can tell you CCP would rather not do this if they had any choice in the matter.
So to those asking for a discount to offset the sales tax: you’re high. If CCP leaves the subscription rate as-is, they will be eating the additional overhead to collect and file taxes on behalf of almost 50 different revenue agencies. By them not passing that cost on to their customers, you’re already getting a de facto discount.
How about some fact checking before boldly stating claims and awkwardly needing to step out of them?
Also “visa-versa” made my day. It doesn’t even sound like you speak it and that alone would make me think if it might be spelled wrong before it write it.
Frankly given howew little content i get as an explorer, CCP charging me America money and the constant nerfing.
I dont honestly give 2 fucks how soon this game shoots itself fatally in the foot.
Actually, most of us just know our local sales tax rates and apply guesstimation on big ticket items (“it says $90, but that’s like almost $100 with tax”). Honestly, I don’t know why the price tags don’t include tax, especially when some items are taxed and others aren’t. E.g., essentials (food, diapers, etc.) are often not taxed or taxed at a lower rate.
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