There are so many weird exceptions to the sales tax. Umbrellas are taxes, raincoats arent. Regular shirts arent, while Bowling shirts are. Golf and bowling shoes are, basketball and tennis shoes arent. Pumpkin for eating is not taxed but if you use it for decoration its supposed to be. What if you put it out for decoration on the porch for a couple of weeks then use if for pie filling and eat it? Howz that work? LOL. Politicians stuck all these strange exceptions into the code over the years.

Then there is the issue of buying anything in Ebay from an ordinary person. They rarely collect sales tax so you are now expected for figure this all out depending on what the item is and whats its to be used for. They apparently want you to list these peoples names, addresses and phone numbers too! Hello Big Brother.

Of course at the Federal level people are supposed to actually compute capital gains/losses for item sold on Ebay (probably for the the states too). Selling some old junk left by your dead relatives? Supposedly you are criminal if you dont. How many people hold yard sales or sell via newspaper ads or just to a neighbor? Which is just a no tech version of Ebay, then you might be a tax criminal.

Dont know if they classify people in Philly who drive to sales tax free Delaware to load up on expensive stuff then drive back to PA. I know people who do this. Are they tax evaders/criminals?

I wouldnt be surprised if they started measuring the amount of gasoline in your tank if you live on the border of a state with lower gasoline taxes (hence lower prices) to determine if you are going there to fill up your tank and evade PA's higher gas taxes. Gasoline prices in Ohio for iinstance are always lower than PA because they have lower gas taxes.

Its not that people dont want to pay any taxes at all, its just the tax laws have become so complicated over time that practically everyone is breaking the law in some way. Here are the taxes I know I pay or have paid.

Federal Income Taxes - 47% of taxpayers, most at the low end, pay nothing net or get back more than they paid due to various tax credits, so they dont pay this one.
State Income Tax
Social Security Tax
Medicare Tax
State Sales Tax
Local Income Tax
Local Property Tax
County Property Tax
School Property Tax
License Tax
Vehicle Taxes
Gasoline Taxes
Various Utility Taxes
Sewage Surcharge Tax (extended this twice - will likely never go away)
Real Estate Transfer Tax
Capital Gains Taxes
Dividend Taxes
Local Per Capita Tax
School Per Capita Tax
State Unemployment Fund Tax

Some of them are small but they add up like crazy and there are many others that are hidden in the cost of the product like taxes business pay. Businesses simply imbed taxes into the prices of products.

Shipping is not a luxury item, it's not personal property nor is it a tangible asset. It's simply a service or labor fee. No tax should apply or else it would be cheaper to make the purchase a the local Ford dealer, they don't charge for shipping unless you need it faster than normal time periods.

Mailed order sub total is $100. Shipping is free. Total is $109.75.
Mailed order sub total is $100. Shipping $5. Total is $105. Tax is $9.75.
Mailed order sub total is $100. Shipping/handling is $10. Tax is $10.73.

The key, per the FTB, is; if the retailer doesn't keep sepperate records on the final shipping fee's for each sale, the state says they have to collect sales tax on the entire sale including shipping and handling. The reason is, the state wants to be able to see the shipping as a sepperate entry on their accounting and if it's all co-mingled with the sale totals only, they cannot confirm if the retailer is collecting the correct amount so to make all easy for the auditors/state, they just simply fold their hands and say, TAX 'EM.

So, retailers who decide not to keep records on shipping here in CA, they will, or are supposed to, tax to total amount.

Those who want to compete with us shoppers will keep shipping records for the state to monitor and then, there's no tax. Mind you if they do keep records, there's no tax on handling either so, no tax on shipping and/or handling if separate records are kept by the retailer.

Those retailers and e-tailers who want to be lazy will pass the taxes onto us. Those who don't will get my business.