A ‘win-win’ proposal for collecting sales tax
Some of the local businesses in Seal Beach apparently did not get (or read) the memo—the one sent out in March from the State telling them to raise the local sales tax from 7.75% to 8.75% on April 1st. I say this based on my experience shopping local and using the calculator app on my phone.
Not to worry? Not quite. The City of Seal Beach has hired a sales tax auditor to ferret out non-compliance. The auditor is promised a 25% commission on any unpaid sales tax they discover. Thus, it won’t be long before a non-compliant business get a second memo with some very bad news. Instead of their customers having paid the extra 1% sales tax, the business will now have to pay it in arrears going back to April 1st.
This is not only bad news for the business, but also the City, since the auditor’s commissions reduce the expected revenue from Measure BB.
So here is a “win-win.” Shop local. Look at your receipt and double-check the sales tax with your smart phone. Politely notify businesses if they are undercharging. This will save money for both the local business and the City.
Robert Goldberg
Seal Beach
Letters to the Editor Policy
The opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sun.
The Sun welcomes Letters to the Editor, which must be in good taste, and of wide general interest.
We will not publish letters we deem inflammatory, contain personal attacks, are political campaigning, or other reasons at our sole discretion.
The Sun reserves the right to accept, edit or reject letters for any reason. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all letters sent to the Sun are subject to publication.
Letters should be 300 words maximum. They should be emailed, mailed or delivered in person and must be signed by the author and contain the authors name, address, and telephone number (the latter two are for verification, and not publication). Email letters to editor@sunnews.org or editor2@sunnews.org .
