Your state/country changed their laws to require digital stores to collect tax, I would presume. Or your state/country always required it and GOG simply wasn't in compliance with their laws. You could try googling (your state name) digital tax for more information.

- Edit -

https://www.wgrz.com/article/money/nys-proposes-tax-streaming-digital-products-pay-for-public-transit/71-0ccfd026-df89-4e6b-933f-a4f67f02fc21 Seems like this is meant to cover public transport.

My best guess is that they were not in compliance, and now shifted to doing so, but for what reason?

They did not have a physical location in the USA, much less NYS.

Or did the cost of paying sales tax simply become too much for them and is now having customers pay for it?

Not to mention I think Fanatical started doing the same thing last year if i am not mistaken; with the reason being is that they cant continue to absorb the cost of the sales tax paid to to the USA (IIRC the reason).

Sorry, I edited my above post. It appears to be a new tax to help cover the cost of running public transit.

Public transport is basically a black hole for money to disappear into in this place; every year they cry not enough money, cannot get self funded, much less in budget and service is only getting worse. No surprise though that the public transport system is the excuse given.

Thank you for the response, and apologies for the rant above.

According to a post by someone on Reddit, it's a new foreign sales tax. They were charged tax for their purchase and they live in Ontario Canada. However, I would imagine it's just for certain locations or everyone buying games on GOG would know about it.

Just got hit for sales tax (WA state) for the first time just now.

I am guessing gog has been forced to comply and collects for all states that have a sales tax now.

tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bulls/publications/sales/nexus.htm

In a country with more cars than humans?
They should increase the ticket price instead... it is still way to low compared to the cost of maintaining a car.

I doubt very much that it has anything to do with public transit. That's probably just a way of masking what it's really for.

Perhaps it's not just a coincidence that the new "public transit" tax was implemented at about the same time that the sanctuary city became overwhelmed, and they said they had no way to pay for it.

taxation is theft and America was createdr to be free of such tyranny.

Welcome to the rest of the world, where the sales tax is included in the price shown on the price tag, and the store won't pay it for you.

No taxation without representation is what America was founded on. Taxes themselves are necessary to pay for public services.

(better to leave this alone)

"seems" being the operative word, here. Much like lottery profits "going to education". Money is fungible. Give all the new funds to the popular cause, while cutting existing funds (or keeping them steady, while expenses increase, especially when you can administratively reassign expenses). The funds can then be used for whatever purpose is desired, without political damage. Note that I am not saying taxes are evil, unnecessary, or excessive, just that they're dishonest about where the tax funds go.

I'd like to know how they determine where I live. I suppose it's the credit card mailing address. IP address is easy enough to fake, and I haven't lived in the same State as my bank in years.