Staples, Inc.

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed down its long-awaited decision regarding online sales tax collection — and digital-only retailers are not on the winning side.

The chief digital officer of Best Buy has left the chain.

As the U.S. Supreme Court evaluates whether online retailers should collect sales taxes, industry groups continue to urge the court to overturn the tax break adopted in the pre-Internet era.

Conventional retailers are working with industry groups to overturn a tax break that benefits e-commerce brands.

In a decision cheered by traditional retailers and many states, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to revisit a 1992 decision in which it ruled that states could only require remote sellers to collect sales taxes if they had a physical presence in the state.

2018 is an election year which will shape the tone and tenor of every issue conversation throughout the year. Here are some key issues to pay attention to in the new year.

Wages

Overtime: A federal district court judge officially struck down the Obama-era overtime rule which would have raised the overtime threshold to $47,476/yr. The same judge issued a stay of the rule last December. The final decision was based on the argument that job responsibilities, and not just salary levels alone, should have been considered in setting the threshold.   

Wages

USDOL Tip Pooling Rule: The Labor Department will propose rescinding its regulations for tip pooling. The Obama administration issued rules that prohibited employers from redistributing tips to non-tipped employees, such as "back of the house" workers. Business groups oppose the rule and an association-backed lawsuit is still pending in the courts.