GOV Planet Tax issues

[fuzzytoaster]

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[Suprman]

I bet tactical truck bought from GL at New Castle. Delaware has no sales tax so no tax charged on anything purchased there. Regardless of what state you live in.

 

[TacticalTruck]

I bought trucks from all over. I never paid sales tax on vehicles the were issued a title. I still think GP has it wrong. At a minimum they have the Virginia rate wrong. It is 5.3% on retail sales which is what they charge and the correct amount for vehicles is 4% charged at the DMV at the time of titling. Virginia has no sales tax on vehicles over 26k#. How do I prove I didn't pay any tax to get my money back from GP?

 

[2deuce]

I have a similar problem. GovPlanet wants to charge me Washington sales tax for a trailer I won in Washington. I'm an Oregon resident, there is no sales tax exemption certificate in Oregon, because there is no sales tax in Oregon. GovPlanet will only give me a refund if I show a bill of lading, requiring me to hire a common carrier, and provide them with an exemption certificate, even when Washington specifically says as long as the new owner is a non resident and transports it out of state there is no tax to be collected. It is within the rules to transport your own items and GL never charged me Washington sales tax either. GovPlanet has told me they don't care, the Customer Care rep says he didn't make the rules. I will be in default tomorrow, but it is the only way I can protest this lack of regard for the customer. When I made my original bid, I did so knowing I owed no Washington sales tax. I sent links and pictures to GovPlanet, but they don't care, some of the reps specifically say that. GovPlanet said they will call back after each call I made, but never did. I will be banned from bidding on their auctions, and that is fine with me.

 

[Jwade]

who have you been speaking to? They actually said they don't care?

 

[2deuce]

Not all of them, the last guy I talked to yesterday didn't identify himself and said that more than once. He said he wasn't the president of the company and didn't make the rules. He didn't care what Washington Tax laws were and didn't care what I did. If I paid for this trailer or not he said he did not care. Rebecca and Ali were helpful, Steve and Brian said they understood my situation and would make sure someone from the tax dept call me back, but nobody called. I reached Durun in the tax dept, he said he would look into it for me, because I sent the tax dept a copy of my drivers license and links to the Washington Sales tax website and pictures on the pages on the website that applied. He said for me to call him back by 2pm last Thursday if he didn't call me. He didn't call and he doesn't answer his extension Thursday, Friday, or Tuesday and you can't leave a message because his box is full. Very frustrating company to deal with and I'm an easy guy to deal with.

 

[Jwade]

I'll see what I can do to get a call back and get to the bottom of the issue. I apologize for the frustrations you are having.

 

[2deuce]

I forgot to add that Lenin was helpful, but GovPlanet will not even tell you where your item is located until after you pay for it. There is no way to figure last minute shipping without an address.

 

[Jwade]

They should give you the zip code, I ship a lot of items they will quote off of a zip code. We have to protect ourselves we can't have people going to the lot who haven't paid things will go missing i promise.

 

[2deuce]

They did give the zipcode of the base, but for a common carrier to get on base is a process. The item was listed at the base, but it really isn't at that location. It is somewhere else at least in this case. Another potential problem is you have 8 days to have your property picked up, but you have to give 2 days notice. There is a $25 storage fee a day for being over 8 days. Lenin called the location and got that waived for me to try to arrange a pickup today, but I wasn't able to, and I wasn't able to place a definite location.

 

[blitz10]

An update to my tax refund problems. I sent all my info via email for the M923A2 and 2 trailers. I have an email back that I will be getting a refund of my taxes paid in Alabama. I had sent the info by mail 5/6 months ago and nothing ever happened, post sale info showed refund though it never was sent. Email is the way to go. I did have to get help on sending attachments, my computer skills are lacking. So after almost a year I am getting $840.00 back. Better late than never.

 

[tobyS]

I wonder if GP pays the tax to the states that we live in. I haven't bought one thing at GL that I have not paid sales tax on and I did submit a tax exemption certificate...they just ignore it. Prices are too high at GP for me but both seem to tax the same. Given the higher prices today, it leaves me wondering if they collect out of state taxes that they are not supposed to and then pocket it.

Jwade, what authority does GL collect out of state tax under and do they pay it to the states we live in? I get a credit for what I pay by Indiana, but a lot of money in sales tax is leaving my state because GL chooses not to sell (very much) here.

I bet the tax authority of places you sell from love it while the states you have no sales in bleed money out.

 

[Jwade]

it leaves me wondering if they collect out of state taxes that they are not supposed to and then pocket it.

I am not a tax expert but I am pretty confident there are laws against this...

 

[Suprman]

Tax is collected for the state the item is sold from. GP does not "charge" tax they simply collect it. State laws specify how and when the sales tax will/wont be applied. States are all looking for revenue in the current economy and sales tax laws are always being re-interpreted so that states can maximize revenue. In GP's defense, its best to collect the tax than not collect and have the state say down the line that it should have been collected and now its owed. That collected tax goes to that state the item was sold from. Some states allow you to request a refund after the fact for certain reasons. If you pay sales tax to one state and register the item in another state then the state you register it in may give you a credit for taxes paid on the item out of state. CT will do this, not sure if all states do. Companies cannot keep collected taxes. I file sales tax returns every month and give the state the funds I have collected.
Will

 

[2deuce]

This is precisly the GovPlanet policy I'm up against. Collect the tax to be on the safe side. Make the customer pay, whether they owe tax or not. It is just like Suprman says "it is best to collect the tax than not". Definitely not the best for their customers. The states they collect tax for are always happy for the extra money. Washington says in the laws that they do not pay refunds, any refund must be collected from the seller. Everyone needs to know this before they bid, that they will be required to pay the sales tax even if they do not owe tax, then that extra expense that GovPlanet levies on you will be reflected in your lower bid. That will affect the 10% GovPlanet charges. They must feel now that since they have a monopoly it won't hurt their bottom line, but it will in the long run, if people are educated in this and GovPlanet doesn't change this practice. I know I'm out and won't be back and I've bought tons from GL in the past, and what I don't win I was still bidding on, just somebody wanted it more.

 

[2deuce]

Well I'm back from our family camping trip and I don't see any changes in my situation. I did get a couple of emails from GovPlanet telling me to contact them about my non-payment, which I will do on Monday. They did state in the email to send them sales tax exemption documentation, but being in Oregon there is no sales tax exemption documentation as there is no sales tax. There is no re-seller classification as there is no sales tax. Anything to do with sales tax does not exist, because sales tax does not exist. When this becomes known by whoever you talk to at GovPlanet, then you hear about company policy which is to collect the tax, even if you do not owe it. Suprman says, "GP does not charge tax, they simply collect it". From my standpoint there is no difference. Washington law specifically states I do not owe tax, only GovPlanet finds it easier to charge it as part of doing business with them. I'm done pulling my hair out over this, so when I do reach them on Monday, and if they won't change their sales tax policy to conform to the law, I will tell them again to cancel my sale. The 1st time they said they could not do that but now maybe they will.

 

[Suprman]

But if you are not a business purchasing to resell, by law they can collect sales tax for the state the item was purchased from. Delaware does not have a sales tax and vehicles purchased out of Delaware do not have tax collected regardless of business customer or private purchaser. What state is the vehicle located in?

 

[patracy]

I paid taxes in AL for my truck. TX gave me credit for the AL state tax only and then added their 2 1/4% to make up the difference.
4% Alabama and the 2 1/4 Texas
1% Mobile
5% Prichard

So the total tax I have paid is 12 1/4 %. Govplanet post sales info shows a refund. I have not received it nor is it on my credit card. I sent the tax paper work by US mail. GP rep tells me to send it again, maybe it got lost. No it didn't, they have refund in post sale info and only they can put in in. Then told to wait several weeks and call. Call again, rep knows nothing and says he will call back. Nothing for several weeks and I call again. Now told to send it via email so I will have a record of it. Working on that now. I have no faith in getting the Mobile and Prichard tax back, $432.00

I'm going through this exactly myself with a trailer I purchased. Jwade said he'd be checking on it for me.

 

[tobyS]

Something is wrong with collecting out of state taxes and NOT paying them to the state you reside in. Looks like they are just being pocketed. They entirely ignore(ed) my exemption certificate and GL once told me I had to have it in the state that I was purchasing from. I'll wager they get a sizable kickback from collecting tax that should never be collected in the first place.

Fighting them is futile...but makes kicking the green iron habit easier.

Please show me a law where out of state tax can be collected when a reciprocal agreement does not exist.

 

[patracy]

Sales taxes are collected in the state the item is sold. I've dealt with this same issue on other vehicles I've purchased out of state from dealers. There's no kickback, if anything it's a headache for all parties involved.

BTW, when you buy something online or out of state (talking general stuff, not just vehicles), you do know you're liable for sales tax right? Everyone is supposed to report it on their taxes, but never do. Well, take a look at more and more of your online purchases, you're getting charged taxes on them now more and more.