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Tax Commission Reminds Holiday Shoppers To Pay Their Idaho Sales Tax

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With Cyber Monday less than a week away, holiday shoppers are busy buying gifts online. But many shoppers don’t realize if they purchase items on the Internet, they still owe the state some money.

It’s called the use tax and it’s been around since 1965. It applies to anything you buy over the phone, mail-order, or the Internet. It’s the same rate as the regular sales tax, 6 percent.

Randy Tilley with the Idaho Tax Commission says most people don’t know about or understand the tax. In fact, less than 2 percent of Idahoans paid the tax last year. Tilley says the use tax helps Idaho retailers compete with out-of-state companies that don’t charge sales tax.

You can report and pay your use tax on your Idaho tax return. Tilley says keep track of what you buy online, and at the end of the year, total the sales that didn't include tax, and make your payment with your annual tax forms. There’s also a special tax form you can use to pay the tax at any time.

The Idaho Tax Commission made this video explaining the use tax and how to pay it.

Copyright 2013 Boise State Public Radio

As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life!). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.

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