Local chamber cheers Supreme Court ruling on online retailers

The local chamber of commerce is cheering a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week.

The South Dakota v. Wayfair case clears the way to compel online retailers to collect sales tax for local and state governments.

La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Vicki Markussen says it was a “big win” for brick and mortar stores over the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Markussen says the chamber has “heard concerns for years” from local businesses that online sellers have an automatic leg up on prices because they don’t necessarily have to pay the 5.5 percent sales tax if they don’t have a physical presence in the state.

Markussen says the ruling “begins to equalize the playing field.”