Sneaky new internet tax pushing through fast

I agree with Elizabeth, a rarity actually, but I don't see why the Feds need to implement it when it's the State's that charge sales tax.

AFAIK tax on out of state purchase is illegal. Because of that my state (Illinois) collects "use tax" - different name of the same thing. Since I don't remember what I bought where I use option of paying fixed "use tax" proportional to gross income. I found this:

"What Are Use Taxes

As a general rule, a state's taxing power reaches only as far as its borders. What this means for sales tax purposes is that a state cannot impose its sales tax on retail sales that are consummated in other states. Because states can tax only transactions within their borders, there is a big loophole from the perspective of the State Department of Revenue. A state's residents could avoid paying a state's sales tax by making their purchases outside the state, either by crossing the border to an adjoining state or by making purchases via the Internet. To close this loophole, each state that has a sales tax also has a complementary "use" tax. The use tax applies to the "use, storage, or other consumption" within the state of tangible personal property, the purchase of which would have been subject to the sales tax had the transaction occurred within the state."

"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"
Oliver Wendell Holmes

I have no problem with the tax.

I gotto go with yes on the tax. The folks working out of their home with a high-falootin' web site are closing the mom and pop stores in our town. The home office sellers pay no rent on commercial property, no sales tas, no use tax, no unemployemnt tax, no workers comp, no disability and probably don't claim a whole heck of a lot in income tax.
And tax the heck out of Amazon & Ebay.
I am talking new products here. Not the re-sellers of used items.
So guess who's covering their asses? You and I folks.

I agree with Tim. (on everything) I will say that maybe if I looked at my check stub and didn't feel like what I pay in was absurd, I'd feel better about paying online tax. As it stands, if I never paid any online tax, I still pay more than my fair share. Uncle Sam taxes me when I earn it, they tax me when I spend it. The tax on a pack of smokes is crazy. Alcohol too. How about gas tax? When I pay in too much, and get a refund, I have to claim that and get taxed again. In the end, I probably pay in 50% of what I earn to some form of tax. I'm sorry if I "neglect" to claim what I buy online. My bad.