Business
(2009-07-30)
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When contacted, a Best Buy spokesman was unaware of the issue and did not return a follow-up call. And it's not just Best Buy. A sampling shows Dell, Staples, Office Depot, and Target are also collecting sales tax on exempt purchases at their websites. A Target spokeswoman blames the discrepancy on a system glitch. She encourages patrons to contact customer service if they feel they've been overcharged.
That's good advice, says Georgia Department of Revenue spokesman Reg Lansberry.
"Try to get the refund of the sales tax they feel was charged in error directly from them they should work through the retailer."
If that doesn't work, consumers can file a refund claim with the state. Lansberry warns though because of budget cuts, getting your money back could take a while.
Jim Burress, WABE News. The following is exempt from state sales tax until 12:00 Midnight on Aug. 2, 2009: Articles of clothing and footwear with a sales price of $100.00 or less per article of clothing or pair of footwear, excluding accessories such as jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, eyewear, watches, and watchbands; A single purchase, with a sales price $1,500.00 or less, of personal computers and personal computer related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use, including personal computer base units and keyboards, personal digital assistants, handheld computers, monitors, other peripheral devices, modems for Internet and network access, and nonrecreational software, whether or not they are to be utilized in association with the personal computer base unit. Computer and computer related accessories shall not include furniture and any systems, devices, software, or peripherals designed or intended primarily for recreational use; and Noncommercial purchases of general school supplies to be utilized in the classroom or in classroom related activities, such as homework, up to a sales price of $20.00 per item including pens, pencils, notebooks, paper, book bags, calculators, dictionaries, thesauruses, and children's books and books listed on approved school reading lists for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
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