[semlin]

Originally Posted by Jman

It's a shakedown, plain and simple. I get that part. Wouldn't be the first time the State of Florida did something questionable.

But to be clear, sales tax is levied on the seller, not the buyer. Who pays to the state? The seller. It is up to the seller whether or not they want to collect it explicitly from the buyer. For example, some vendors with walk in customers--coffee shops, etc.--might list their sales prices, then charge the tax amount, so a $1.00 item costs $1.0X when you finally pay for it. Others list their prices, and just send a check for X% of sales to the state. One explicitly collects from customers, the other implicitly, but in each case, it is the SELLER that pays the money to the state.

But I get Florida's angle. Do they have Cubans in state government? They're pretty familiar with mob tactics, I've heard.

the fact the seller collects and remits the tax, and is liable for the full amount of the tax if they fail to do so, does not mean they actually pay it at law . the state just drafts a law that turns them into mandatory tax collectors.