Why Big-Ticket Items May Soon Cost You More Online

Consumers have escaped sales taxes online as long as that retailer wasn’t in state

Savvy shoppers who buy big-ticket items online to avoid state sales taxes will be losing that advantage.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday enables states to collect sales tax from all online purchases. But such a change will take time: States still need to decide if and how they want to collect sales tax from out-of-state merchants, and then it may take months or even years to enact laws.

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