Holcomb praises Supreme Court’s online sales tax ruling

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is praising a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says states can force online shoppers to pay sales tax.

The 5-4 decision Thursday overturns earlier rulings, which determined companies shipping products to states where they didn’t have a physical presence weren’t obligated to collect the state’s sales tax.

States have long complained that they were losing out on billions of dollars of revenue as a result.

Indiana lawmakers anticipated federal legislation or a ruling like the one handed down Thursday. They approved a 2017 law that laid the groundwork for the state to collect online sales taxes.

Holcomb says he’s taking a close look at the ruling to see how it will impact Indiana.

Either way, he says it will “level the playing field” for retail stores.