Online Shoppers Are About to Be Forced to Pay Higher Sales Tax—Here's Why

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(Image credit: The Style Stalker)

As if you didn't already spend enough money online shopping, the Supreme Court just made a ruling that could make your purchases even more expensive. As CNN reports, the new decision means that states can force online retailers to collect sales taxes, even if they don't have a brick-and-mortar store in the state. Previously, states could only secure sales taxes from companies that had a physical store in the state. Per CNN, the court decided that the old law "effectively incentivized businesses to avoid physical presence." Plus, the old law meant that states were missing out on much of that lucrative revenue from your online shopping habit.

"The internet's prevalence and power have changed the dynamics of the national economy," Justice Anthony Kennedy stated in the ruling, per CNN. "The expansion of e-commerce has also increased the revenue shortfall faced by states seeking to collect their sales and use taxes." Stay tuned as we learn more about the effects of the ruling—and in the meantime, it never hurts to save money with affordable retailers like some of our favorites below.

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Associate Director, Fashion News

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 12 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of Associate Director of Fashion News (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.