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by ___q 1646 days ago
"Happy birthday" is public domain and

you don't need to report things you buy online on your taxes

2 comments

> "Happy birthday" is public domain

Only after 2016. Before that you would have been on the hook for ~$700 per performance to warner media group.

Admittedly, in most "Private" settings, you'd be fine. The most common place to get flagged was in a restaurant where the waiters sing to you.

> you don't need to report things you buy online on your taxes

Ooof, I got some bad news for you, buddy. You ABSOLUTELY DO need to report any online purchase that does not charge you sales tax at time of payment. Most retailers will now do this (primarily because Amazon abused the shit out of this to give customers an additional ~10% off, and the IRS started handing out fines) but for things like: Craigslist, Ebay, Alibaba, etc - You better be reporting it, you little criminal you.

> Only after 2016.

Which it is right now, so "happy birthday" is public domain.

> You ABSOLUTELY DO need to report any online purchase that does not charge you sales tax

The original post didn't say "that do not charge tax." Yes you must pay taxes where applicable, like all purchases.

He asked which laws he might have unintentionally broken. Unless he's an incredibly literate 6 year old... I suspect he's old enough to have sung happy birthday before 2016, which would have been breaking the law.

The original post also didn't specify that you picked an online vendor that's calculating this tax for you... And in some places, you're still supposed to be reporting it! Fun times!

>you don't need to report things you buy online on your taxes

In at least some states (e.g. Massachusetts) you are indeed supposed to report out of state purchases brought into the state whether or not the company selling to you collected the state sales tax or not. (Larger companies shipping to you now have to collect.)