IRS May Ask eBay To Snitch On Sellers 418
Makarand writes "The IRS thinks that many sellers on online auction sites are unaware of their obligation to declare their profits and pay their taxes to the IRS. Tax experts are now asking the IRS to require online auction sites like eBay, Yahoo, and Ubid to report the gross sales numbers for their sellers. Such a requirement will surely send a shock wave across the online trading world because it could drastically reduce the profits a seller would make on these sites. The IRS thinks it can collect an extra $2 billion in taxes from this requirement that auctioneers report sellers who complete 100 or transactions a year worth at least $5,000."
+ tax (Score:2, Interesting)
Is there some law? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:It's really simple..... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:It's really simple..... (Score:4, Interesting)
Bring it on.
Hmm (Score:4, Interesting)
When eBay tells the IRS how much auctioneers are making it's snitching.
Funny how that works.
Re:+ tax (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Cry me a river (Score:3, Interesting)
How do you figure? The purpose of an auction sale is to determine the market value of an item.
I presume the IRS is after those who sell new stuff on eBay, as a business, not the "garage sale" types selling used stuff.
I have purchased many "new" items on eBay, from sellers with very high positive ratings, so high, that I presume they are using eBay as a storefront for their business.
If I get a better price because the seller isn't paying taxes, that is not my problem.
The interesting question is what taxing authority has jurisdiction over those Hong Kong sellers who sell items to US buyers?
Cost of Goods Sold? (Score:5, Interesting)
If forced to account for the "income", can't I also offset it by the "expense"?
Re:Fair Tax = Screw the middle class (Score:4, Interesting)
How about you show me exactly where and how this extra money will be recovered, rather than listing a whole lot of areas that are never going to be taxed under the "Fair Tax" plan?
Ebay is already doing this (Score:4, Interesting)
He geows and collects orchids and has phytosanitary (ie, the proper) permits to import
flasks of seedlings into Canada from the US.
Now, most sellers won't/can't ship to Canada, but that's alright, we both know a guy
that lives in Buffalo, Dick, that receves these shipments then they're collected by Jim from Buffalo
and he walks them through customs with the proper forms and the flasks are imported legally and properly.
Last time he did this he got won some auctions for plants, as well as flasks of
seedlings - the plants were a gift for the guy in Buffalo for his trouble.
Last week he had a guy from the Ministry of the Environment that explained to him when he showed up
at Jim's house than Jime has a permit to import flasks but not plants and he bought some plants and
they know this because they saw it on ebay. The catch is ebay had had to have
given the MoE this Jim's contact data as there is nobody else who has it and no
other way to get it.
So apparantly ebay cooperating with the IRS might be news but ebay cooperating
with any gov official that walks in and asks for data is already happening.
(My friends simply had to show the plants in question were delivered to the US
and stayed there which was easy)
Re:+ tax (Score:3, Interesting)
Please don't listen to this guy, he's utterly wrong.