taxes

Prosecutors in China say more than a dozen housewives have engaged in smuggling Apple iPhones and iPads in order to avoid paying sales taxes. A total of 26 people have now been charged with participating in a total of five distinct smuggling rings. ... Reports suggest the smugglers were supplying iPhones and iPads to Lanyo Shuma.com, one of the main electronics suppliers on Taobao Marketplace, China's version of eBay and Amazon. Lanyou Shuma.com was thrown out of the marketplace in April, 2012, amid a scandal over alleged smuggling of the iPhone 4S from Hong Kong. (Source: reuters.com ) High ... (view more)

Amazon recently filed papers with the New York State Supreme Court declaring a problem tax provision to be "invalid, illegal, and unconstitutional." This was an expected response by a retailer attempting to redefine what constitutes the physical ... presence of a company within the geographical boundaries of a state. Confused? So is the state of New York, which contends that Amazon ought to be held responsible for the collection of local sales taxes because the company pays out referral commissions to its affiliates who are registered to a New York address. The provision is part of New York's $ ... (view more)

New York's state legislature passed a budget earlier this month that includes a provision requiring online retailers to collect all applicable taxes at the behest of the state. Individuals shopping online had previously been able to dodge paying ... local taxes since online retailers were not responsible for their collection. Instead, New York as well as most other states require individuals to voluntarily declare items bought from out of state retailers, in their annual income tax filings. The 'Use Tax' puts the onus on the individual to pay their owing taxes on items purchased. In reality, ... (view more)