Some tax equality for merchants, at long last!
California is now the 30th state forcing online retailers to collect sales tax. Companies selling product online are now required to charge you if you live in the state. It might sound like common sense, but for too many years, online retailers were able to cheat the system and not collect taxes. While customers felt they were gaining by saving, the reality was that many real, brick-and-mortar stores were forced to either downsize or close.
Watch your local merchants in the next few years. I predict you will begin to see once bare shelves become more filled. Maybe you will begin to see higher-end inventory that you typically don’t see. With the sales tax no longer a weapon of the online retail space, the local merchants have an opportunity to score some wins and move forward.
