Florida Online Sales Tax Deal Aims to Fill Unemployment Fund

Florida suddenly appears likely to join nearly every other state in requiring out-of-state sellers to collect taxes on sales into the state, thanks to Republican legislative leaders’ agreement to use the money to restore the state’s unemployment compensation trust fund to pre-pandemic levels.

The state House Ways and Means Committee passed a bill (H.B. 15) that was amended Thursday to deposit sales tax collected from remote retailers and marketplace providers like Amazon.com Inc. directly into the unemployment fund. A companion bill in the Senate (S.B. 50) is ...