Is being taxed on shipping a new thing?
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (52174)
Staten Island, New York
July 5, 2019 10:19am CST
Usually when I buy things online via Swagbucks the SB don't automatically get credited to my account and I have to contact support. I was surprised to find that my recent online purchase at Macy's via Swagbucks actually worked and I have the SB pending in my account. No need to contact support to get those points.
However, I noticed that the amount I will get credited is different than what I had calculated. I am assuming they didn't count the shipping cost (which sucks but makes sense). But it turns they also didn't count the tax either. Why is that? And on top of that I found out that Macy's itself taxed me not just on the items I had purchased but on the shipping as well.
Shipping was $10.95 and add on the tax that's about 97 cents on top of the already high shipping charges that I had to pay. I have never heard of shipping being taxed. I wonder if this is just a Macy's thing or if others do the same nowadays...
6 people like this
6 responses
@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
5 Jul 19
I never noticed being taxed on shipping before and wonder if it is a new thing. Maybe I just didn't pay attention and they've been doing that for a while.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222534)
• United States
5 Jul 19
I never noticed tax on shipping; but it's very rare that I pay shipping; and I don't calculate the tax when I do.
@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
5 Jul 19
I wonder if we always pay tax on shipping and it is just masked in the shipping charges.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222534)
• United States
5 Jul 19
@lovebuglena Probably. Everyone overcharges for shipping; and it makes me livid.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
5 Jul 19
@LindaOHio I was contemplating having the items shipped to my local Macy's and picking them up from there. But I wonder now if that would mean no shipping charges or if I'd still have to pay something.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
5 Jul 19
If sales taxes are being assessed on shipping it is because the state to which the goods are being shipped passed a new law requiring such a tax to be assessed or the state always had the law in place and is only now forcing compliance from the retailers. Either way, it wasn't Macy's idea to start taxing shipping, it was the state government in the state where the goods are received. Here in NC, only lately have they levied a tax on shipping charges.
@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
6 Jul 19
You are probably right. This is the first time I notice a tax on shipping or learn that it is possible for someone to charge tax on that. Did not know that before.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
5 Jul 19
Did you ever pay tax on shipping before?
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (127158)
• United States
5 Jul 19
@lovebuglena I honestly couldn't tell you. I never paid that close attention to it.
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@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
5 Jul 19
I looked at my Macy's order email and first it gave me the total for the items, then shipping and below that was tax. When I taxed just the item total it did not match the tax amount. When I taxed the sum of the item total plus shipping then it matched. That means I was taxed on shipping.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112876)
• United States
5 Jul 19
I honestly have never heard of tax on shipping. Are you sure its not some kind of a fuel surcharge or something being passed along or some handling fee? Shipping fees and handling fees are different of course. One is to ship it to you and the other is to pay for the person who boxes it, the packaging materials etc.
@lovebuglena (52174)
• Staten Island, New York
6 Jul 19
There was a single tax amount and it was for the sum of total price of items plus shipping.
1 person likes this
