Leisure pro loses price match: be careful...

[RJP]

I don't mind paying the tax if everybody else does (big if)...

Ah, situational ethics are a wondeful thing!

...but they're never going to get me to do that record-keeping.

They've managed to "get you to do that record keeping" for your income tax, no?

 

[vladimir]

Actually, my employer does most of the record keeping for my income tax. i am comfortable with the ethics of my tax return because at the same time I skip reporting the sales tax I also skip reporting my charitable contributions, deductible expenses, etc. It amounts to small change, I hate record-keeping, and most of my deductions are negated by the AMT anyway.

I used to work for John Mulheren, who was audited by the IRS for multiple years in an act of harassment. As the story went--over a few beers--when they were done with the audit they owed him millions of dollars. If they want to audit me to get that $22 in sales tax, they will end up with a bill, though not quite as hefty as in John's case.

 

[Randy43068]

Only if you want to be honest! It's amazing how people have no qualms about defrauding the USG or sending valuable dollars abroad in this economy. But it's OK because they're 'beating' LP pricing. Then they boast on the board about their illegal activities. SB is great!

Good point.

Your turn. How much money do you owe for driving over the speed limit. You're breaking the law EACH time you do it. You are cheating local jurisdictions out of that revenue.

That's right, send the jurisdictions in which you have ever sped in the correct fine and court cost money for each infraction.

Please post how much that works out to be, will you?

Perhaps it's time to step down from your white horse.

 

[vladimir]

Since when does the shipper pay Import Duties? Very seldom if ever at all. The buyer pays them upon import. Usually, the USG applies an import tax upon arrival in the US. If the shipper understates the value to help the buyer avoid the tax, or US Customs simply chooses to ignore the package, them the buyer gets 'lucky'. But this does not make it legal.

The reality: Most individual imports are not assessed by US Customs. (Quantity is simply too high). Legally: The buyer is required to report and pay the duties. None do. This does not make it legal. But it does make it cheaper.

Perhaps. There is a box on the the Fedex shipping label that you can check to "Bill Customs Charges to Sender," so I assume that shippers sometimes pay duties. I do know from personal experience that DHL has billed me $6 for a tariff, so I assume that bona fide shippers are not intentionally circumventing the law.

I didn't see any mention of shippers understating value to abet tariff evasion in this thread--did that actually happen, or is it a hypothetical?

 

[RJP]

How much money do you owe for driving over the speed limit. You're breaking the law EACH time you do it. You are cheating local jurisdictions out of that revenue.

At the risk of being pedantic, you only owe the money for violating the speed limit when you are issued a citation and either plead or are found guilty. So, as with any criminal charge, you do not owe money for driving over the limit unless you are caught and found to be guilty.

 

[Randy43068]

At the risk of being pedantic, you only owe the money for violating the speed limit when you are issued a citation and either plead or are found guilty. So, as with any criminal charge, you do not owe money for driving over the limit unless you are caught and found to be guilty.

Yeah, I got it now. Breaking the law is OK 'till one gets caught.

 

[ScubaSteve]

At the risk of being pedantic, you only owe the money for violating the speed limit when you are issued a citation and either plead or are found guilty. So, as with any criminal charge, you do not owe money for driving over the limit unless you are caught and found to be guilty.

However I believe his point was simply that the law exists...just like the obligation to pay taxes. But how is "dodging" one not like "dodging" the other? I think he is saying that since both laws exist, it is equally wrong to fail to do either. However we all do it.

 

[Randy43068]

However I believe his point was simply that the law exists...just like the obligation to pay taxes. But how is "dodging" one not like "dodging" the other? I think he is saying that since both laws exist, it is equally wrong to fail to do either. However we all do it.

Bingo!

Thank you.

 

[RJP]

Bingo!

Thank you.

Again, at the risk of being REALLY pedantic, your argument is a good one for the ethics of not speeding. But it is not a good one for sending in payment for a fine that has not been issued.

Taxes and duties are due and payable upon completion of a transaction.

Payment of a fine for commission of a crime is not due and payable until you have been found guilty of that crime.

May be pedantic, but it's also the "Due Process" clause of the Fifth Ammendment to the US constitution. (Constitutional scholars being known to be a pretty pedantic bunch.)

 

[ScubaSteve]

:thinking:

At the risk of upsetting the courts and being held in Contempt, I believe we are all now off course from where the OP initially posted. I believe this line of posting is more suited for this spin off thread.....not here.