I still have and use my Canadian iTunes account. W/ the latest OS upgrade and the added ability to read them directly on the computer, I've recently discovered the joys of iBooks, which I like a lot better than the good old Kindle books that I'd come to rely on since we left home a few years ago.
 
Anyway, I've just realized that if I buy iBooks, tax applies - which for us back in French Canada means an extra 15%. It surprised me as I've been buying music and renting movies forever on iTunes and tax never applied. I'm wondering why for books in particular.
 
It had been so long since I'd faced that dreaded Canadian tax that I was in a bit of a shock when I saw the receipt this morning.
 
Anyway, that's one more reason to be glad to go back to traditional books, which I can finally do. :)

It is not just books, but not all vendors may be collecting the tax at the time of sale.
In the US there is a law that exempts internet vendors from collecting state sales taxes, but it does not exempt buyers from paying those taxes if the states where they take delivery have had the foresight to enact "use taxes." 
 
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/gm/b-090/b-090-e.pdf
 

Don't get me started on Canadian taxes, especially in Quebec. Ugh. Or postal codes. I do buy Cuban cigars in Canada, but I'll wait until I've crossed the border to get lunch.
 
I'm just now getting into e-books, mainly because I have an overseas trip coming up and want to load up on reading material. But I don't know if it'll become a long-term habit. Physical books on paper have too many advantages:
 
1. You can pass them on to others after you're done with them
2. You can read them on the plane under 10,000 feet
3. You can read them all the way to Tokyo - and back - without a recharge
4. You can write notes in the margins (don't try that with your tablet!)
5. You can smack flies with them (don't try that with your tablet!)
6. You don't feel too bad when you leave one behind on the plane (don't do that with your tablet!)
 
 
 
 
 

bitflipper
Don't get me started on Canadian taxes, especially in Quebec. Ugh. Or postal codes. I do buy Cuban cigars in Canada, but I'll wait until I've crossed the border to get lunch.
 
I'm just now getting into e-books, mainly because I have an overseas trip coming up and want to load up on reading material. But I don't know if it'll become a long-term habit. Physical books on paper have too many advantages:
 
1. You can pass them on to others after you're done with them
2. You can read them on the plane under 10,000 feet
3. You can read them all the way to Tokyo - and back - without a recharge
4. You can write notes in the margins (don't try that with your tablet!)
5. You can smack flies with them (don't try that with your tablet!)
6. You don't feel too bad when you leave one behind on the plane (don't do that with your tablet!)
 

You forgot to include #7...

IMHO, eBooks are great for light stuff - biographies and such. Most of the time, I read that stuff while practicing guitar or noodling in front of the screen. The iBook I bought last night has slideshows and audio and tons of cool stuff - which is great when you're reading about a band or an artist.
 
But the minute I want to read something a bit more substantial which requires more attention, I still prefer the real thing.
 
First time I got back to reading actual book after a few months, I noticed that I had to re-train myself to focus on only one thing. On the computer, you get so used to scan for new info every few moments that it becomes a second nature - put on music, check emails, look up a word and get sidetracked...
 
Pulling the plug and reading a real book helps keep some control on my attention span.

Can't you update your account to Las Vegas and avoid the taxes since you aren't there any more?  Or start a new US account for the books?  

Old55
Can't you update your account to Las Vegas and avoid the taxes since you aren't there any more?  Or start a new US account for the books?  

That's what I'll probably do eventually. But since I'm still officially a Canadian citizen, and I still have my personal bank account over there, and since everything is linked to that bank account, I never made the change. It also allows me to access movies and music that aren't available in the US Store and to use the (Canadian) gift cards that the family sends us for Christmas and our birthdays. My wife has a US account.
 
You can have 2 accounts, but accessing one makes the other unusable for 45 days IIRC, so you can't really ping-pong between them.
 

Last week there was a bit of news on the CBC. It seams that Americans are concerned that Canadians that are living in the U.S. much of the time, or earning a part of their income in the U.S., may be avoiding U.S. tax. Both sides of the border will be looking into these types of people and the U.S. wants access to Canadian tax records.
 
This is going to hit entertainers pretty hard. A good friend earns a living touring the U.S. and Canada. At U.S. gigs he has to leave money behind in the form of a withholding tax. He then has to apply for the return of the money after he pays the tax.
 
Free trade, right.

ampfixer
Last week there was a bit of news on the CBC. It seams that Americans are concerned that Canadians that are living in the U.S. much of the time, or earning a part of their income in the U.S., may be avoiding U.S. tax. Both sides of the border will be looking into these types of people and the U.S. wants access to Canadian tax records.
 
This is going to hit entertainers pretty hard. A good friend earns a living touring the U.S. and Canada. At U.S. gigs he has to leave money behind in the form of a withholding tax. He then has to apply for the return of the money after he pays the tax.
 
Free trade, right.

In 2012, IIRC, my wife had to pay taxes in Canada, in Spain, in the US and in Russia because of the tour - we had remained in each place for a significant amount of time, enough for them to want their taxes. And even though we'd merely been in Canada for a few weeks, we still had a residence there, so they claimed all the $ they could.
 
Since we're now residing in the US full time and she's on the American payroll, we only need to worry about US taxes. We're still Canadian citizen and we still have bank accounts there and social security numbers, but that's it. No residence, no insurance, nothing. 
 
But I have no problem understanding how it can impact touring artists. Not to mention that when you don't have a huge operation to back you up with its  team of accountants and lawyers to handle the technicalities for you, you may end up thinking twice before planning a tour across the border.

So these "real books"....that's like a 3D Kindle, right? 
 
I'm still not sure on when I'm going to get charged taxes. I had thought that when I ordered something on Amazon then the NY sales tax would now be applied. But just the other day I bought a pair of boots for $130, which is over the $110 tax-free threshold on clothes and shoes. Wasn't charged any tax though. Not that I'm complaining.....