If an online business has a physical location in a certain state, such as a store, business office, or warehouse, it must collect sales tax from customers in that state. If a business does not have a physical presence in a state, it is not required to collect sales tax for sales into that state. This rule originated from a 1992 Supreme Court decision which declared that mail-order merchants did not need to collect sales taxes for sales into states where they did not have a physical presence.
Online shoppers who live in a state that collects sales tax are officially required to pay the tax to the state even when an Internet retailer does not collect it. When shoppers are required to pay tax directly to the state, it is referred to as “use” tax instead of sales tax.
The revenue collection agencies in most states now have some kind of formal position on e-commerce sales. Most states treat the sales in the same way they treat mail-order sales; however, you should contact your state tax agency and ask for help and information with regard to your particular business to be sure.
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