Sales Tax

Lawmakers have given final approval to a measure designed to allow Missouri communities to continue levying taxes on car sales. Missouri residents have long paid sales taxes on vehicle purchases in their home communities during registration. But the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Missouri communities can't levy sales taxes on purchases made in other states. Communities can charge a local use tax— if voters have enacted one. Currently, 39 counties and St. Louis city have a use tax. House members voted 122-21 early Thursday to approve legislation to reinstate the...

A bill to exempt the purchase and maintenance of airplanes from Pennsylvania's 6 percent sales tax won a strong vote of confidence in the state House of Representatives. The House gave its final approval to the measure Tuesday by a vote of 179 to 19. It now goes to the Senate. Critics say this is not time for the state to be handing out tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations that will deprive the state of millions of dollars of badly needed revenue. Proponents say the bill would match tax exemptions available in neighboring states and make up the lost revenue by...

The state Court of Appeals has ruled a national online retailer must pay more than a half million dollars in taxes on sales of books, music and movies in New Mexico. The court's ruling on Wednesday involved a limited liability company that's a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc. The subsidiary was assessed gross receipts taxes of $534,000 for sales in New Mexico from 1998 to 2005. The company protested and a state agency hearing officer said the online retailer wasn't required to collect the New Mexico tax because it had no presence in the state.

Rhode Island lawmakers plan to vote on legislation that would remove a sales tax on package tours and sightseeing trips. The state Senate is scheduled to debate and vote on the measure Tuesday. Lawmakers voted to impose the 7 percent tax last year to help shore up the state's budget. Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed quickly called for the repeal of the tax, saying it would hurt the state's tourism industry.

What to bring ■Cash - Most auctions require a security deposit of $50 to $100 to make sure you completely clean out the units. And don't forget cash for the actual goods; they don't take plastic. ■High-powered flashlight - You'll be viewing the storage units as if they are deep, unlit kitchen cabinets, from the outside only. Seasoned buyers bring a flashlight to spot treasures in the depths. ■Padlock - Once you buy, you'll need to secure the contents from all the oglers who just saw that valuable stuff.

THE GLOBE'S article about the Massachusetts sales tax holiday missed an opportunity to warn readers about the long-term consequences of this boondoggle ("Looking for a holiday break; Shoppers being watched closely for clues about economy over tax-free weekend," Metro, Aug. 14). A two-day sales tax holiday for selected items does nothing to provide relief to low-income taxpayers during the other 363 days of the year. In the long run, sales tax holidays leave an unfair tax system basically unchanged.

Attention shoppers: State lawmakers are getting ready to bestow their annual back-to-school gift, a sales tax holiday in the middle of August. House and Senate leaders say they expect to approve a measure this week - passed in a committee yesterday - to suspend the 6.25 percent sales tax on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, a weekend. Governor Deval Patrick said he will sign it. Shoppers and retailers have come to expect the break, doled out six of the last seven years. There was some early doubt that the state could afford it this year, given a budget crunch that required cuts to social services, including a...

It's as though a witty and well-informed friend whose conversation you delighted in had suddenly left town. That's a strange way to feel about an assemblage of inanimate objects. And yet I'm still bereft over the shuttering of the Borders bookstore in Downtown Crossing. A victim of changing habits — and of online competitors with big price advantages — the store closed after its parent, Borders Group Inc., filed for bankruptcy last summer. A great bookstore is a magical place.

Prompted by Amazon.com's reported plans to set up offices in Massachusetts, a new coalition of more than 80 retailers, organizations, and individuals has been formed to advocate for the state - and the nation - to collect taxes from online sales. Scheduled to be unveiled Monday at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, the Massachusetts Main Street Fairness Coalition was formed under the umbrella of the trade group Retailers Association of Massachusetts. The coalition is being cochaired by Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and David Didriksen, owner of Willow Books and Cafe...

Japan's Cabinet has approved a proposal to raise the sales tax, clearing the way for legislation to help counter the country's mounting fiscal deficit. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has pledged to carry out tax and social security reforms this year. The bill approved Friday calls for raising the 5 percent sales tax in two stages, to 8 percent in 2014 and 10 percent by 2015. The plan is unpopular with the public and opposed by opposition lawmakers as well as some within Noda's own Democratic Party of Japan.

The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday rejected a challenge to Omaha's 2.5 percent dining tax on all restaurants within city limits. The appeal came from two Omaha restaurants and restaurant owner Anthony Fucinaro Jr., who sued to stop the tax, saying it amounts to a sales tax that the city does not have the authority to enact without a referendum. Even if found to be an occupation tax, the restaurants argued it violates limitations in the Nebraska Liquor Control Act on the amount of occupation tax for liquor license holders.

Lawmakers have given final approval to a measure designed to allow Missouri communities to continue levying taxes on car sales. Missouri residents have long paid sales taxes on vehicle purchases in their home communities during registration. But the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Missouri communities can't levy sales taxes on purchases made in other states. Communities can charge a local use tax— if voters have enacted one. Currently, 39 counties and St. Louis city have a use tax. House members voted 122-21 early Thursday to...

California Gov. Jerry Brown called on state lawmakers to embrace austere cuts and urged voters to approve tax hikes in outlining a revised budget Monday. Brown proposed $8.3 billion in cuts across education, health care and welfare programs in laying out a plan to address the state's $15.7 billion shortfall, an amount equal to 17 percent of the state's discretionary fund. He warned that additional cuts are ahead if voters reject his tax-hike initiative in November. "Cutting alone really doesn't do it," Brown told reporters in...

Austerity has been the main prescription across Europe for dealing with the continent's nearly 3-year-old debt crisis, brought on by too much government spending. But what does it mean for the average European? Imagine paying sales tax of 23 percent or more. Or having your wages cut by 15 percent. Or, if you're in Ireland, both. Austerity comes in many forms: higher taxes, fewer state benefits, more job cuts, working longer until retirement, you name it. Here's a look at some of Europe's austerity pain: GREECE: Greece, one of three eurozone nations...

Gov. Jerry Brown made a personal appeal Thursday for California voters to support his tax-hike initiative, saying their support is crucial because the state's finances have been "screwed up" for a decade. The Democratic governor submitted a batch of signature petitions in Sacramento, as the campaign announced it had gathered 1.5 million signatures. The initiative needs about 807,000 valid signatures to qualify. "For more than a decade, the budget has been screwed up, an incredible mess bringing down our credit rating, causing a lot of anxiety and uncertainty,"...

A back-to-school sales tax break on school supplies and low-cost clothes is closer to approval in Colorado. A Senate committee approved the tax break 4-3. The measure faces another committee test, but its chances are excellent in the Senate. Senate President Brandon Shaffer is one of the sponsors. The measure would waive the state's 2.9 percent sales tax on certain school supplies and low-cost clothes and computers. The measure already passed the House and has the backing of retailers.

Shoppers could be enjoying another Massachusetts sales tax holiday this summer. A legislative committee has scheduled a public hearing Monday on a bill that would waive the state's 6.25 percent sales tax on most items sold during the weekend of Aug. 13-14. Previous sales tax holidays have been popular with shoppers and retailers, but costly in lost revenue. Officials said Massachusetts consumers saved nearly $20 million during a tax-free weekend last August. Momentum has been building for another sales tax holiday in recent weeks as state tax collections continue to exceed benchmarks.

The Arizona Senate has postponed a vote scheduled Wednesday on a bill to require Amazon.com Inc. to collect sales tax on purchases made by Arizona residents. The bill was among several on a voting calendar that the Senate skipped without explanation. Senate passage would send the Amazon bill to the House.

A bill that would ban the use of "zapper" devices used to create fake retail sales transaction records to avoid taxes is one step closer to becoming law in Connecticut. The state's House of Representatives passed the measure 147-to-0 Wednesday. The proposed bill now awaits action in the state Senate. The bill, developed by the Departments of Revenue Services, Consumer Protection and Attorney General, would make it a felony to sell, buy, install, transfer or possess such an automatic sales suppression technology or "zappers.

A plan to cut income and sales taxes would leave Kansas with a budget shortfall exceeding $700 million by mid-2018, according to a new state Legislature estimate circulated Wednesday, contradicting a recent forecast that projected a gap less than a quarter of that size. Lawmakers in both parties have sought assurances that the tax cuts wouldn't create a shortfall, and critics predict the plan could force cuts to spending on public schools, social services and other programs. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and many members of the GOP-controlled Legislature believe cutting taxes will...