Tax Commission: Don’t Forget Use Tax When Filing
Think you’re ready to file your taxes? Think again if you didn’t count those untaxed purchases you made last year.
For example, according to the Idaho State Tax Commission, when you purchase items on the Internet, sellers might not charge sales tax if they’re not Idaho retailers.
As the shopper, you’re responsible for paying tax directly to the state if the goods are shipped to you in Idaho. This also applies if you buy goods by telephone or mail order catalog. And if you buy products in a state where no sales tax is charged – like Oregon or Montana – you owe use tax if you bring the goods into Idaho.
The Tax Commission suggests that you check your invoices or receipts to see if you paid sales tax on the following types of purchases:
- Internet purchases (including digital music, movies, books, and games)
- Magazine subscriptions
- Book and music club items
- Catalog and phone purchases
- Purchases in a state with no sales tax (e.g., Oregon, Montana)
“Sales and use taxes help fund state and local services in Idaho,” Renee Eymann, Tax Commission spokeswoman, said in a prepared statement. “The use tax also ensures that all consumers in the state contribute equally to fund these services, whether they buy in Idaho, online, or outside the state.”
To pay your use tax when you file your annual income tax return, total your untaxed purchases and multiply that total by .06 (6 percent). Enter the amount (rounded to the nearest dollar) on the appropriate line of your income tax return: