Mobile and Hoover have stepped into a fast-growing legal fight that could reshape how Alabama taxes online shopping.

The two cities were added Monday to a lawsuit arguing that the state’s approach to internet sales is unconstitutional. What began in August as a lone challenge from the City of Tuscaloosa against the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) could swell to roughly a dozen cities by Wednesday, the deadline to intervene.

At stake is the future of the Simplified Sellers Use Tax (SSUT), a nearly decade-old system to tax online sales whose fate could ripple through every level of government funding in Alabama.

In Mobile, Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said the lawsuit is essential to preserve the city’s financial stability as online buying continues its rise. He warned that Mobile stand

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