[heimidal]

Given the only practical alternative I can imagine would mean to never show a price... yes, the current state of things is more beneficial to the consumer. Again, seeing an pre-tax MSRP price in an ad is better than not having any MSRP in an ad at all.

If you have a practical alternative that could somehow allow for advertising with prices that include tax, I'd love to hear it. (Just to make sure we're on the same page ahead of time: amending the Constitution to strike the Tenth Amendment so that the Federal Government can prevent states from levying their own taxes is not "practical".)

[snovv_crash]

Localized advertising is the obvious answer.

[olliej]

there are in the region of 100 different in the SF Bay Area alone. I drive through at least 10 in my daily commute.

Localized advertising as you put it, with included tax info, cannot work for: TV, radio, billboards, internet advertising, and is not useful to consumers for seat advertising, bus stops, etc.

Circulars only work because they can be printed in large numbers and delivered cheaply because they are delivered to every house in a region. Except delivery regions are by zip code, not by city or municipality - my zip code has three cities in it. As I have said elsewhere I am around 10 houses from a different city, so postal delivery for circulars that includes the prices is out unless you include multiple prices, but that's still kind of busted because if I get a circular I might stop at the store in a different city along my commute.

So now if I see a "full price" from X different ads, which "full price" is correct for where I would be shopping? Hence what matters in this environment is that all advertisers are providing a complete price where the only difference is the tax.

[snovv_crash]

Wait, are you saying that false advertising should be allowed because it makes junk mail cheaper to produce?

If the tax people were paying was transparent it would help people to comparison shop where they paid lower prices. I really see it as win-win.

And even if there was a carve-out for non-location-specific advertising, at a bare minimum brick and mortar stores (and restaurants) should display the prices they actually expect you to pay.

[heimidal]

“Local” advertising is not practical. There are 13,000 sales tax jurisdictions in the US.

[snovv_crash]

Sounds to me like the US needs harmonized tax laws?

[heimidal]

Unfortunately, that is not a political reality. The federal government does not have the power to enforce sales tax rules on the states.