small thought for Oregon people

I'm going to assume (since I'm a Hoosier) that when Travel Portland makes a point about not charging sales tax it would be a lure. There's no mention of "for residents only" or anything. Sounds like a deal to me!

There are other discounts. I get one for being a local government employee. I know if you even have been accepted to a University all you have to do is show your acceptance letter.

You might want to check out Apple's Education page for more information. Or give the Portland Apple Store a call and see exactly what qualifies.

Guys! People have been crossing state borders for CENTURIES to avoid sales tax! I grew up in Massachusetts, habitually crossing the border to New Hampshire to buy expensive items (not to mention alcohol) - no sales tax there, either. It's totally legal, there is no problem with it at all. Enjoy your tax-free macbook and don't feel guilty!

There is a caveat. Almost every state has a "use tax" (including Washington). I will say that enforcement is a completely different issue, and frankly the worst that can happen is they eventually make you pay up.

http://dor.wa.gov/content/FindTaxesAndRates/UseTax/

Use tax is due if:

* Goods are purchased in another state that does not have a sales tax or a state with a sales tax lower than Washington’s. For example, items you purchase in Oregon that are used in Washington are subject to use tax.

It's totally legal - but, at least in the states I'm familiar with (CA and NY), you're supposed to voluntarily pay the sales tax on your state income tax return.
In California, it's called 'use tax', and it applies to out of state purchases and untaxed online purchases.

will this work if i upgrade myself:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5472719

It should, although I've heard of a few cases where people got kernel panics (sign of soft memory failures) with Kingston ValueRAM. For a little bit more, you can get the following (working great in my system - I bought it at Fry's):

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5284717

im going to be in portland, or next week and i was wondering: If i buy a macbook from Oregon (which doesn't charge tax) will they ask me for ID to prove that I live in OR to not get charged for tax? just a small thought

Oregon does not charge sales tax no matter who you are or where you live.

HOWEVER, this does not mean you don't still owe the tax in Washington State. You will need to pay Washington State "Use Tax" when you return home. The Department of Revenue in Washington State is VERY clear about this:

http://dor.wa.gov/content/FindTaxesAndRates/UseTax/




When is use tax due?
Use tax is due if:
Goods are purchased in another state that does not have a sales tax or a state with a sales tax lower than Washington’s. For example, items you purchase in Oregon that are used in Washington are subject to use tax.



So, I would just purchase your MacBook in Washington State and not worry about reporting the tax later. Since bypassing paying the tax by purchasing online or going to another state is against your state law, posting about this illegal act here in the Apple discussions is against the Terms of Use and the Moderators/Hosts may find this topic inappropriate and delete it.

-Doug

It's totally legal, there is no problem with it at all. Enjoy your tax-free macbook and don't feel guilty!

You can't say that here, you are, in fact, suggesting an illegal act without adding that when you return home you DO still owe the tax. At least that's true for Washington State and, as others have mentioned, other states as well.

-Doug

This makes no sense, is it new? While I lived in NYC (1986-2003), the city instituted widely advertised tax-free weeks in late August and again in December, in which there was no tax on clothing instead of the usual 8.25%. This was done openly to prevent people from going to NJ to buy back-to-school and Christmas gifts tax-free. No one EVER suggested that we should record such purchases on tax forms and pay the tax at that time!

Where I live now, there's a 19% tax on everything - property, income, sales (though it's included in the listed sale price, not tacked on at the register). There is something to be said for simplicity!

This makes no sense, is it new? While I lived in NYC (1986-2003), the city instituted widely advertised tax-free weeks in late August and again in December, in which there was no tax on clothing instead of the usual 8.25%. This was done openly to prevent people from going to NJ to buy back-to-school and Christmas gifts tax-free. No one EVER suggested that we should record such purchases on tax forms and pay the tax at that time!

It's not new, but enforcement has always been weak - practically nonexistent. That sounds more like NY businesses were losing sales to out of state retailers. Here's the rule, which I doubt has changed.

http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pit/incometax/sales_and_use_tax_on_my_income_taxreturn.htm

No one EVER suggested that we should record such purchases on tax forms and pay the tax at that time!

Of course they didn't as special days like that are completely different from the original subject here. Those events are planned by the city and you are not expected to pay that tax. If you read the link y pw provided, that does not fall under any of the example scenarios. You would not owe the tax. But, traveling across state lines, specifically, to avoid paying tax on a purchase is not legal and cannot be suggested here.

-Doug