DALLAS, Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a decision that will significantly impact Colorado taxpayers who buy goods from online retailers, on February 22, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ("Appellate Court") reversed the district court's summary judgment, finding that the state of Colorado's notice and reporting requirements did not unduly burden or discriminate against interstate commerce.
In 2010, the state of Colorado imposed notice and reporting obligations on out-of-state retailers, who are not obligated to collect sales tax. These obligations include:
Direct Marketing Association (DMA) challenged the law, arguing it was unconstitutional because it unduly burdened and discriminated against interstate commerce. The district court agreed with DMA and permanently enjoined the Department from enforcing the law. The Department appealed. This reversal by the appellate court removes the district court's injunction and allows the Department to enforce the aforementioned notice and reporting requirements. Please see Direct Marketing Association v. Brohl, No. 12-1175 (10th Cir. 2016) for the full opinion.
When it comes to sales and use taxes, the e-commerce industry has proven to be a complex and challenging issue for states. As such, it is not surprising that states have taken steps to close the loop on tax collection and remittance. What is worth noting, however, is the uniqueness of Colorado's approach. While other states have chosen to address this issue by passing "click-thru" or "affiliate" nexus laws, which impose tax collection obligations on remote sellers who enter into agreements through which customer traffic is directed to them via links on resident's websites, Colorado has instead chosen to require remote sellers to provide the state with purchaser information on qualifying sales as set out above. The state has indicated it plans on enforcing this decision and will require retailers to send information to the state and, in turn, may use this information to send use tax notices to Colorado purchasers. Colorado's law impacts both remote sellers and Colorado purchasers. It results in an additional administrative burden for remote sellers and possibly privacy implications to consumers. Ryan will continue to monitor this development to see if any other states choose this course of action in seeking sales or uses taxes on e-commerce sales.
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Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect and property tax practices in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance, and strategic planning. Ryan is a three-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multi-disciplinary team of more than 2,100 professionals and associates serves over 12,000 clients in more than 40 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com.
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