In June 2018 the United States Supreme Court granted states the ability to collect taxes from out-of-state internet retailers – via South Dakota vs. Wayfair – by eliminating the requirement that businesses must be physically present in a state before their sales can be taxed. House Bill 259 – which is now before the Idaho House – would respond to this new authority to collect this tax directly from retailers.
This bill would funnel revenue from online sales tax to a Tax Relief Fund, making it unavailable for other budget priorities, such as schools, roads, and law enforcement. The bill would restrict the use of not only new revenues generated by the legislation, but also revenue Idaho is currently receiving from some retailers that already remit the tax and from residents who have been remitting the use tax directly to the state.
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