^ I meant it in the broader sense that all governments are dependent on tax money to function and the burden of providing that money falls upon the people and institutions operating under said government. Therefore governments will always look for new ways to fill their coffers. In this case the ruling almost says as much in that they discuss the changing dynamics and impact of lost revenue on states.
However, in this case, yes, the issue is limited to state sales tax and what it means for state coffers. This ruling opens the door for every state to now require that any online sales include a tax based on the location of the purchaser and not the seller. Thing is its not just states either. Counties can have tax codes that differ from the state code, so cities/counties can require additional taxes on certain goods. In my specific case the county I work in charges 1% more in sales tax than the one I live in.
In response to the ruling I can already see those states that charge a sales tax and that have not done so already will draft legislation going after this new revenue stream.
So if a Hobby seller of comics sells to someone in NYC, LA, Sioux Falls, etc. The online seller now needs to know the specifics of the tax code of every customer they sell to. A rather daunting task. Unless states in the drafting/editing of their legislation limit the overall income from a business to grosses over a certain dollar value.
It will also be interesting to see if eBay, Etsy, etc. offer a service which tells the seller what they owe to where based on what they've sold.
