If your Amazon order or DoorDash dinner seems pricier lately, it may not just be corporate markups at play. Some states are now quietly imposing government delivery surcharges, sometimes called 'doorstep taxes', that get added at the very end of a transaction. These aren't extra shipping fees from the retailer — they're tax or fee mandates from state or local governments, emphasizing how revenue models are adapting to the digital economy.
Colorado was one of the first to adopt such a fee. Beginning in July 2022, Colorado levied a retail delivery fee initially set at 27 cents per delivery; the rate has since risen to 28 cents, 29 cents, and is then scheduled to revert to 28 cents in a subsequent fiscal year. The fee is not subject to state and state-administered local sales taxes, though home rule jurisdictions.
