An Alternative to an Amazon Tax Getting Attention in Florida

In what will probably be the first in a line of states to do so, Florida’s lawmakers are considering an alternative to Amazon Tax-type laws to capture the often lost sales and use tax on Internet transactions by hiring a “software development company to create a computer program that would automatically calculate sales taxes on [...]

The Online Hotel Room Tax Battle Rages In Florida and Kentucky

Two federal courts recently (and only seemingly, I would contend) ruled on the side of online travel companies, producing somewhat surprising results in a long line of similar cases we followed throughout 2009 (see here, here, here, here, and here).  One, a case brought to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, by Monroe [...]

Florida’s AG Files Against Expedia & Orbitz for Hotel Sales Taxes

Are Expedia and Orbitz paying the appropriate amount of sales taxes to the State of Florida for online-purchased hotel room rentals? Not according to Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum, who recently filed suit in Tallahassee for up to hundreds of millions of dollars in back taxes. In a line of online travel cases that essentially [...]

Online Sales Tax Roundup: Internet Cowboys & Cowgirls, Open Your Eyes

UPDATED APRIL 14, 2009 It is my firmly held belief that as one state after another (no matter the size or perceived “importance” of any particular state) will possibly be able to pass Internet sales tax legislation, others are more likely to follow suit. Early adopters can pave the way towards the future in this [...]

Thou Shalt Not Tax My Book(s)?

Let’s indulge a bit of fun today, shall we? It’s Friday the 13th, after all, in mid-February at that. We could all use a bit of a break. Let’s start with the dread, nay, the fear that each Friday the 13th seems to cause some folks. Once the fear reaches true phobia stage, we refer [...]

Is Fido’s Adoption a Sales Taxable Event?

We might not think there are many taxability questions when it comes to our beloved pets, but in fact there are as many tax rules concerning pets and pet supplies as there are dog breeds at the Westminster Dog Show. Here’s just a small sample of the myriad of taxability concerns and the tax regions [...]