Buying and Replacing Joey to Save Monthly Fee

[comfortably_numb]

Okay, talk about funny timing. I posted this rant last night. Today, my Dish bill became available to view, so I logged into my mydish account to read the bill. The surcharge is now only $0.25 (yay, it went down by a penny!) but more importantly, the sales tax on my bill is now $0.29 lower than it was last month for the exact same services, resulting in a total decrease of $0.30 on this month's bill, compared to last month's. One way to look at this is that the decrease in the sales tax now more than offsets both the OH State Surcharge and the FCC fee. Of course, the glass-half-empty side of me is saying that this decrease simply means that Dish has been over-charging me on the sales tax for the last few months, and they are just now getting around to fixing their mistake.

Or the tax tables have changed.

 

[pattykay]

Or the tax tables have changed.

Yeah, I thought of that. This is January, and the county usually makes changes to the tax rate in January and July. On the other hand, when I moved this account to Ohio back in October, I immediately noticed that the sales tax for this account with Flex Pack at $29.99 ($34.99 - $5.00 autopay discount) was significantly higher than the sales tax on my other Dish account in the same county, which also had $29.99 in programming and services ($19.99 Welcome Pack + $10.00 DVR fee). The sales tax on this month's bill is now closer to what it used to be on the other account (I have since closed the Welcome Pack account.) which leads me to believe that the reduction is more likely due to Dish correcting a mistake with the sales tax on the Flex Pack account.

 

[Gobucks]

If I still lived in Ohio (and I'm glad I don't), I'd "move" to Indianapolis, Detroit or Wheeling WV to avoid paying Ohio's taxes.

Yea but then I would have to live in Indy, Detroit or Wheeling WV. I'm OK living in Columbus Ohio with a good job.

I'm originally from WV. I'll take paying "Satellite Tax" any day then living there.

Plus who says those states or cities won't eventually have their own "Satellite Tax" one day.

 

[Cheddar_Head]

Yea but then I would have to live in Indy, Detroit or Wheeling WV. I'm OK living in Columbus Ohio with a good job.

I'm originally from WV. I'll take paying "Satellite Tax" any day then living there.

Plus who says those states or cities won't eventually have their own "Satellite Tax" one day.

Seems to me that you would be avoiding the tax illegally, you still lease the equipment in the state that is levying the tax. You might be fooling Dish but I bet that the state of Ohio believes you still owe the tax. Kind of like when you "avoid" sales tax buying on the Internet, in most states you still legally owe the sales tax, it is just that the vendor no longer collects and you are legally obligated to pay it.

 

[pattykay]

Seems to me that you would be avoiding the tax illegally, you still lease the equipment in the state that is levying the tax. You might be fooling Dish but I bet that the state of Ohio believes you still owe the tax. Kind of like when you "avoid" sales tax buying on the Internet, in most states you still legally owe the sales tax, it is just that the vendor no longer collects and you are legally obligated to pay it.

Yeah, well good luck collecting it. They would have to find me first.

 

[Cheddar_Head]

Yeah, well good luck collecting it. They would have to find me first.

True but I am pretty sure that Dish "knows" what your billing address is.

 

[pattykay]

True but I am pretty sure that Dish "knows" what your billing address is.

Dish could charge the tax based on billing address instead of service address, if the state required Dish to do so. However, with paperless billing, it is just as easy to "move" the billing address out of the state if necessary. My point was that the state of Ohio would have no way of knowing where I was physically located at any given time, or whether I should have been paying the tax or not.

 

[Gobucks]

Seems to me that you would be avoiding the tax illegally, you still lease the equipment in the state that is levying the tax. You might be fooling Dish but I bet that the state of Ohio believes you still owe the tax. Kind of like when you "avoid" sales tax buying on the Internet, in most states you still legally owe the sales tax, it is just that the vendor no longer collects and you are legally obligated to pay it.

I live and work in Columbus Ohio. That is also where my service is. No "Moving" here.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Seems to me that you would be avoiding the tax illegally, you still lease the equipment in the state that is levying the tax. You might be fooling Dish but I bet that the state of Ohio believes you still owe the tax. Kind of like when you "avoid" sales tax buying on the Internet, in most states you still legally owe the sales tax, it is just that the vendor no longer collects and you are legally obligated to pay it.

Good grief. Let’s not get into the legalities of “moving” for purposes of avoiding tax or getting out of market locals again, please!

 

[comfortably_numb]

Yea but then I would have to live in Indy, Detroit or Wheeling WV. I'm OK living in Columbus Ohio with a good job

I wasn’t talking about physically moving....

 

[dare2be]

I wasn’t talking about physically moving....

 

[navychop]

That introduces the propriety of having a receiver in one state, feeding DA in another. Never mind locals. You can get locals OTA.

For now. Anyone suspect hidden features and intentions in ATSC 3? Channel your inner Bob.

On edit: spelling correction: propriety.

 

[comfortably_numb]

That introduces the proprietary of having a receiver in one state, feeding DA in another

My ISP routinely shows my location in Chicago even though I’m on the MO/KS state line in Missouri. So I think the location feeding DA shouldn’t be an issue for Dish, although it is for MLB. I have tons of issues streaming baseball games in the summer because it looks like I’m in Chicago. So could Dish get uppity about it? Sure. I would hope they wouldn’t, because it’s not my fault the ISP does that.

PS- this would apply to people who use VPN’s as well

 

[Gobucks]

I wasn’t talking about physically moving....

I should have realized that. I'm not here much. I had to do research on "Moving"

So face palm and all that.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I've posted this a million times, but some states have a leased receiver tax (mine does). So if you care about saving $2 per month, then that is one advantage of owning. Not wanting to debate the merits of owning vs. leasing here; just stating a fact.

It’s the state sales tax based on $7

So your talking $.36 if your state sales tax rate was 6%

 

[comfortably_numb]

It’s the state sales tax based on $7

So your talking $.36 if your state sales tax rate was 6%

In the zip code I am currently “moved” to, it’s $1.54 per month on my $15 Hopper 3 lease. Doubt the tax rate is 15.4%, so I think you might be incorrect.

 

[Claude Greiner]

In the zip code I am currently “moved” to, it’s $1.54 per month on my $15 Hopper 3 lease. Doubt the tax rate is 15.4%, so I think you might be incorrect.

Unless your in Florida where it’s like 13%

 

[comfortably_numb]

I’m going to email the Department of Revenue tomorrow to find out how they figure the “leased equipment tax.”

 

[pattykay]

I’m going to email the Department of Revenue tomorrow to find out how they figure the “leased equipment tax.”

Just a wild guess, but I am thinking the tax is on your entire bill (including programming) if you happen to have any leased equipment.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Just a wild guess, but I am thinking the tax is on your entire bill (including programming) if you happen to have any leased equipment.

They can’t tax programming in this state- that would be a satellite tax, which we most definitely do not have. Only the portion of the bill which is “leased equipment” is taxable. I think I might be uncovering a scam here....