CALIFORNIA SENDING TAX BILLS TO INTERNET CIGARETTE BUYERS!
The state of California is sending tax bills to Californians who have legally purchased cigarettes over the Internet, the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER is reporting in fresh Saturday runs.
The state is attempting to collect $384,000 for purchases made in the year 1999.
And so far about $100,000 has been collected!
The REGISTER'S Anne Mulkern reports that California is sending 3,200 letters to individuals demanding an average of $112 per customer.
"The state is aggressively pursuing tax collection to catch revenue it began losing as of Jan. 1, 1999, when new taxes kicked in, creating additional incentive for smokers to switch to out-of-state sellers. The law that took effect in 1999 upped California's excise tax by 50 cents, to a total of 87 cents per pack."
Vic Day, a supervisor with the state Board of Equalization's excise tax division tells the paper:
"If you do go (online) and buy your product, you will be taxed the same as if you bought the cigarettes in state."
One California resident, H.L. Dickerson, is not amused at the $1,044 bill he received for 120 cartons he bought online last year.
"If I'd thought I had to pay taxes, I wouldn't have bought them (over the Internet). You're buying them out of state. You're paying the freight to get them here. Why the (heck) do you owe the state taxes?"
Among numerous questions that come to mind is, "How does the government know who bought what and when?"
i got this off the net on Tue 01-18-2000 from AZRKBA@ASU.EDU which is the Arizona Right to Keep and Bear Arms listserver.
Sorry I don't know where to find the article in the internet Drudge or on the issue of the Orange County Register Newspaper