Online shoppers have to pay state sales tax, Supreme Court says

In a 5-to-4 decision in the case of South Dakota v. Wayfair, the Supreme Court majority ruled that South Dakota can require online retailers that do not have a physical presence in the state to collect state sales tax on purchases by state residents. The decision overturns an earlier 1992 Supreme Court decision that barred states from doing this — and over time, it’s likely to diminish or eliminate the financial advantage many online-only retailers have maintained over local brick-and-mortar stores, which are typically required to collect state and local sales taxes from customers. So what about the modern online American consumer, with ever more opportunities to shop and click? Will this decision likely impact how we shop?

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