{"items": [{"author": "George", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654559500392", "anchor": "fb-654559500392", "service": "fb", "text": "The first bullet point you listed is a disadvantage.", "timestamp": "1396920013"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654559650092", "anchor": "fb-654559650092", "service": "fb", "text": "@George: from the perspective of people who see it as a reason to keep tax-exclusive pricing it's an advantage.", "timestamp": "1396920108"}, {"author": "George", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654559854682", "anchor": "fb-654559854682", "service": "fb", "text": "Tautologically.", "timestamp": "1396920156"}, {"author": "Aaron", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/114306433035608537932", "anchor": "gp-1396922457231", "service": "gp", "text": "I too wonder why this isn't more common. Another thing it's done for commonly in the U.S. is hot dog stands at fairs or similar things where the advantage to having prices in round numbers (so people don't have to fumble for change) is particularly strong.", "timestamp": 1396922457}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654568502352", "anchor": "fb-654568502352", "service": "fb", "text": "Gasoline and cigarettes too. Gasoline prices are in tenths of a penny per gallon, because at $3.50 a gallon, a tenth of a penny's worth of gasoline is about 1 ml.", "timestamp": "1396924791"}, {"author": "Vivian", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654569200952", "anchor": "fb-654569200952", "service": "fb", "text": "When I have a receipt with multiple taxed items on it, tax-inclusive pricing would make it much easier to tell exactly how much money went to each item (useful for accounting).", "timestamp": "1396925275"}, {"author": "Josh", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654569280792", "anchor": "fb-654569280792", "service": "fb", "text": "Is this actually mandated anywhere, or just custom? I feel like I've seen some places that advertise tax-include prices, usually a small vendor selling something very specialized, such that they won't suffer by comparison to a pre-tax price.
If it's just custom, then there's really no incentive for anyone to voluntarily list a higher price than they have to. (Although I'd then think that advertised gas prices *are* required to include taxes, or otherwise stations would advertise their visually lower pre-tax price.)
Also, I don't think airline tickets are advertised as post-tax prices; or, at least, I've requently had one price rise to something else once various fees were added. Maybe those are only fees, and not tax? Not sure.", "timestamp": "1396925303"}, {"author": "David German", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/111229345142780712481", "anchor": "gp-1396927592047", "service": "gp", "text": "Apparently it's a requirement in MA: \"The tax must be separately stated and separately charged on all invoices, bills, displays or contracts.\"\n
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\nhttp://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/taxpayer-help-and-resources/tax-guides/salesuse-tax-guide.html\n
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\nWithin that wording, I'd guess it would be permissible to print price tags that list the price, the tax, and the total. \u00a0So, take it up with your favorite retailer?\n
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\nThere's other good stuff in that FAQ. \u00a0For instance, \"nonmedicated cough drops\" are tax-exempt but \"antacids\" are taxable. \u00a0 \n#WellThatMakesSense", "timestamp": 1396927592}, {"author": "opted out", "source_link": "#", "anchor": "unknown", "service": "unknown", "text": "this user has requested that their comments not be shown here", "timestamp": "1396928898"}, {"author": "Daniel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654574854622", "anchor": "fb-654574854622", "service": "fb", "text": "Huh, that's strange, David. It never occurred to me that that would be required, rather than just being what we're used to. It's not always followed, though -- I do know a few local places that list tax-inclusive prices.
I think the main reason most places list prices that don't include tax is that it makes things look cheaper to the average not-quite-rational human mind. Just look at all the stuff priced at $4.99 instead of $5, or worse, gasoline with everything ending in 9/10 of a cent. For heaven's sake, the penny is so nearly worthless in the US we're thinking of getting rid of it, and they still can't at least use whole cents in their pricing?
(Responding to a G+ post. Look at the comments on the blog page instead of on FB to see that post, too.)", "timestamp": "1396929318"}, {"author": "Jim", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654575677972", "anchor": "fb-654575677972", "service": "fb", "text": "I think the purpose is to raise the activation energy to thinking about prices. Another example of this is subtracting off a cent; yes, everyone who actually pays attention to the price will round it off, but the goal is to get you to not pay attention to the price. A more extreme example in some retail stores, is putting price labels on shelves instead of items, then labeling the shelves (and the receipts) with barely-legible all-caps abbreviations.", "timestamp": "1396929920"}, {"author": "Jan-Willem", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100580955183019057735", "anchor": "gp-1396961919544", "service": "gp", "text": "I really wish all price tags included tax, like they are \neverywhere else in the world\n I've ever been. \u00a0As far as I can tell it's actually illegal in most places in the US. \u00a0I've seen places try to quote post-tax prices (Tosci's in the MIT student center back in the day come to mind, they included odd-looking prices on the list that were round after tax). \u00a0But they stopped, I think because they were smacked down.\n
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\nWhich of course brings to mind the question of unreachable round prices. \u00a0Are there nice round numbers that can never be the after-tax price of something subject to sales tax? \u00a0I believe the answer is \"yes\", but I forget the rounding rules (which probably vary by state just as much as the rates themselves).", "timestamp": 1396961919}, {"author": "Arthur", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654594719812", "anchor": "fb-654594719812", "service": "fb", "text": "For one thing it allows national chains to promote a price point nationwide (like \"the dollar menu\") without adjusting the price to take state and local taxes into account", "timestamp": "1396964863"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654596406432", "anchor": "fb-654596406432", "service": "fb", "text": "@Arthur: the differences in cost of doing business between various states are probably much larger than the differences between sales tax rates. Though I would expect those two to mostly correlate, so sales-tax-inclusive pricing would make nationally fixed prices even harder.
Still, I'm not sure this is a major factor. A single state could mandate this change, and there are several states where national chains are unpopular (ex: vt).", "timestamp": "1396966303"}, {"author": "Sean", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654769539472", "anchor": "fb-654769539472", "service": "fb", "text": "My work includes tax in our concession stand prices. I can tell you it is far more helpful to consumers", "timestamp": "1397101770"}, {"author": "Phillip", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/654558422552?comment_id=654813561252", "anchor": "fb-654813561252", "service": "fb", "text": "Pro, it is simpler for consumers to see the cost to them, Against, it hides the level of taxation. I expect that most businesses don't want own price increases that are tax increases. I prefer having them separate because I like to know what I am being charged for the good, and I find it trivial to add in the tax in my head. I forget that most people actually find this a challenge.", "timestamp": "1397149212"}]}