Last year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that states could collect sales tax on internet purchases from retailers who don't have a physical location in the state. Since then, Louisiana has been ironing out how that process will work.
While large companies like Amazon have already been collecting state sales tax on internet purchases, more retailers began charging the tax on January 1st. As of now, it's optional for companies to comply. About 80 online retailers that don't have locations in Louisiana have signed up so far. But eventually, it will become mandatory that companies collect the tax.
On this week's Capitol Access, Robert Travis Scott, President of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a non-partisan public policy group, explains what consumers can expect.