WASHINGTON – With the U.S. Supreme Court holding oral arguments today on whether online sellers can be required to collect sales tax the same as local stores, the National Retail Federation said the time has come to update the court’s landmark 1992 ruling on the issue.

“This case is largely about whether collecting sales tax is an undue burden on interstate commerce,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “That might have been the case in 1992 but technology has eliminated that concern just as it has transformed the retail business and so much of the rest of our world. Today, there’s an app for that.”

“Representing retailers both large and small, NRF has been working with policymakers to rectify this disparity for nearly two decades,” Shay said. “We are very hopeful that the reason the justices have agreed to hear this case is that they want to update a ruling that has become antiquated in the light of developments over the past quarter-century. It’s time for the Supreme Court to clear the way for modern sales tax policy that will finally put all channels of retail – from stores to online – on a level playing field where everyone competes under the same rules. Online sellers who don’t have to collect sales tax have held an unfair price advantage over local retailers for far too long.” Full Article