Earlier this year we shared the U.S. Supreme Court would hear a case related to online sales tax: Wayfair v. South Dakota. This ruling could settle how online purchases are taxed, potentially overturning the 1992 Quill Corp v. North Dakota ruling currently preventing states from collecting sales tax from sellers without a physical presence (or nexus) in the state.

Why is it worth it for the Supreme Court to consider this case rather than fall back on the previous Quill ruling? The world has changed a lot since 1992. As The Wall Street Journal reports, “In 1992, the justices ‘did not and could not anticipate the development of modern e-commerce,’ Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote in a friend-of the-court brief.” Read More

Annette Nellen

Sales tax law changes and discussions in 2017 are likely to look a lot like those of 2016, with one possible exception.

The repeating discussions and activities will include:

1) Expanding the sales tax base to include more services and digital goods.

2) Congressional hearings on the Marketplace Fairness Act without enactment of legislation.

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