HR 5660: Internet Sales Tax Heats Up

HR 5660, a bill before Congress known as the “Main Street Fairness Act," would require online businesses and entrepreneurs to collect and remit sales taxes from each customer.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) States should be encouraged to simplify their sales and use tax systems.

(2) As a matter of economic policy and basic fairness, similar sales transactions should be treated equally, without regard to the manner in which sales are transacted, whether in person, through the mail, over the telephone, on the Internet, or by other means.

(3) Congress may facilitate such equal taxation consistent with the United States Supreme Court's decision in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota.

(4) States that voluntarily and adequately simplify their tax systems should be authorized to correct the present inequities in taxation through requiring sellers to collect taxes on sales of goods or services delivered in-state, without regard to the location of the seller.

(5) The States have experience, expertise, and a vital interest in the collection of sales and use taxes, and thus should take the lead in developing and implementing sales and use tax collection systems that are fair, efficient, and non-discriminatory in their application and that will simplify the process for both sellers and buyers.

(6) Online consumer privacy is of paramount importance to the growth of electronic commerce and must be protected.

 The debate is heating up and everyone from Amazon.com and eBay.com are fighting the Bill.  I expect the conversations to become more and more heated as November elections draw closer.

Prank in Worcester (UK)

When 10-year-old Azura Beebeejaun fell down, she decided to play a prank on her friend and "played dead".  It just so happens that the Google Street View vehicle was driving down her street, Middle Road, located in Worcester (UK), and it snapped a picture of her sprawled out on the sidewalk.

As you can imagine, folks thought the woman was injured or worse, dead.  Thank goodness she's alright and was just doing what kids do.......playing.

Tax Free Weekend: What is it really worth?

This upcoming weekend is "tax free weekend" and I've heard a few people comment that they plan to buy those tires for their car or that new living-room furniture that they've been eyeing for sometime this weekend.  But, what is the "holiday" really worth?

We didn't have a "tax free weekend" last year (2009) and now that the state sales tax is at 6.25%, as opposed to the 5% it was in 2008, when we did have a "tax free weekend", could it have anything to do with this year being an election year?  I know, it's a rhetorical question.

Here's a BIG change to this year's "Sales Tax Holiday Weekend":

What's Different for 2010?

This year, Massachusetts residents may want to stock up on their favorite liquors and wines for the holidays, as the tax-free weekend will include alcohol sales. The 2010 Massachusetts sales tax holiday weekend includes "alcoholic beverages sold for off-premises consumption" which means you will still pay tax on the drinks you purchase with a meal in a restaurant or at your favorite local bar.


The tax exemption only applies to items purchased for personal use, not business use. Individual items must also cost $2,500 or less. 

Art in the Park

Looking forward to checking out "Art in the Park" which opens tomorrow, Thursday, August 12th, at 6:00 PM in Elm Park.

Dead in the Water

There are hundreds of dead fish that have washed ashore in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

Word is due to the unbelievably warm summer we've experience, there  is a lack of oxygen in the water, and thus this caused many of the fish to die.

Fandom Gone Too Far?

I am a person that loves watching sports and I certainly miss participating as much as I did in high school and college.

I am a die-hard New York Yankees fan living in Massachusetts and I will never root for the Boston Red Sox.  It's the truth.

Whenever I wear my Yankees gear in Worcester or even in Boston, I get "the look" from time to time, but I have yet to have anyone say anything directly to me, except for that time back in '98 when I wore all my Yankees gear and sat in the bleachers at Fenway.  It was interesting and I had alot of fun tormenting a few good-hearted Red Sox fans as the Yankees were beating the snot out of the Red Sox.

Now, when Red Sox fans wear their Boston Red Sox gear in New York City, I doubt anyone will comment or even give them a second look.  It is New York City, afterall, with 8.4 million people living there.

So, when I saw this video of a Boston Red Sox fan being escorted out of Yankee Stadium, I laughed but that quickly changed because I realize that she was trying to "look out" for her friend and the police officer got irritated and went from a 4 to a 10 too quickly.

Does the woman who was arrested have a case or will she be charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest? Or does the lady now have a good story to "brag about" to her family and friends about  being kicked out of Yankee Stadium?

Sports: Boston Celtics Updates

With the recent signing of Shaquille O'Neal to the Celtics, it appears as though Rasheed Wallace has gotten closer to his decision to retire.

It's being reported by Rasheed's agent, Bill Strickland, that Rasheed plans to make it official any day now and retire, leaving $13 million and 2-years left on his contract.

In other Celtics news, Shaq was very vocal in Florida that he doesn't plan on being a 40-year-old plus athlete and that he plans to retire with the Boston Celtics. 

The 18-year veteran, Shaq, and the NBA's oldest active player, signed a 2-year deal estimated at $3 million.

People Helping People

When I heard the news about the 10 volunteers- 6 Americans, 2 Afghans, a German and a Briton- in Afghanistan that were killed while working to help the people and, more importantly, the children who were unfamiliar with a toothbrush or crayons, it resonated with me. 

Why was this news more impactful than previous reports of volunteers killed while helping others?  I don't know what it is, but I know it has everything to do with seeing Tom Little's widow, Libby, on television speaking about their work and Tom's work in Afghanistan for more than 30-years.


The Little's had lived in Delmar, NY but had have raised three daughters in Kabul and witnessed all sorts of wars- the Soviet invasion in the '80s and the civil war of the '90s.

"The kids had never seen toothbrushes, and Tom brought thousands of them," Nedam said Sunday. "He trained them how to brush their teeth, and you should've seen the way they smiled after they learned to brush their teeth."