Internet Sales a Bit More Taxing Today

Internet shoppers in 13 states may find themselves facing sales tax on their online purchases for the first time today, two days after the deadline set for implementation of the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.

The project, in the works for several years, is intended to simplify the process of collecting as much as $18 billion in annual Internet sales taxes that now go largely unpaid. Online retailers have agreed that while their customers may be liable for a