Can Internet Sales be Taxed‪?‬

Abstract Many Internet sellers are not required to collect sales tax on their Internet sales if they have no physical nexus in the state. Instead, the end-user is required to pay use tax on such items, but the compliance rate is low. As such, states are losing large sums of revenue, and would like to have the seller collect the tax and remit it to the state. Currently, the Commerce Clause, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, prohibits states from requiring remote sellers to collect the tax. Congress is loath to interfere, as doing so may require business to file thousands of sales and use tax returns each month. In response, states have joined together in the Streamlined Sales Tax Project to reduce the administrative burden on businesses, in hopes that Congress will require the remote sellers to collect and remit the tax to them.