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Online Sales Tax Calculator Tool

What is Sales Tax?

A sales tax is a consumption tax paid to a government on the sale of certain goods and services. Usually, the vendor collects the sales tax from the consumer as the consumer makes a purchase. In most countries, the sales tax is called value-added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST), which is a different form of consumption tax. In some countries, the listed prices for goods and services are the before-tax value, and a sales tax is only applied during the purchase. In other countries, the listed prices are the final after-tax values, which include the sales tax. GST Calculator Tool

If you're like the majority of people paying taxes isn't at the top of your list of top tasks to complete. However, one thing that can help make tax season more pleasant is using an instrument that will ease the burden. A sales tax calculator is one of these tools that we'll discuss in this blog.

Net Amount (excluding tax) $100.00
Tax Rate (6.5%) $6.50
Gross Amount (including tax) $106.50

What is Sales Tax?

A sales tax is a consumption tax paid to a government on the sale of certain goods and services. Usually, the vendor collects the sales tax from the consumer as the consumer makes a purchase. In most countries, the sales tax is called value-added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST), which is a different form of consumption tax. In some countries, the listed prices for goods and services are the before-tax value, and a sales tax is only applied during the purchase. In other countries, the listed prices are the final after-tax values, which include the sales tax.

U.S. Sales Tax

In the United States, sales tax at the federal level does not exist. At the state level, all (including District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam) but five states do not have statewide sales tax. These are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. States that impose a sales tax have different rates, and even within states, local or city sales taxes can come into play. Unlike VAT (which is not imposed in the U.S.), sales tax is only enforced on retail purchases; most transactions of goods or services between businesses are not subject to sales tax.

The sales tax rate ranges from 0% to 16% depending on the state and the type of good or service, and all states differ in their enforcement of sales tax. In Texas, prescription medicine and food seeds are exempt from taxation. Vermont has a 6% general sales tax, but an additional 10% tax is added to purchases of alcoholic drinks that are immediately consumed. These are only several examples of differences in taxation in different jurisdictions. Rules and regulations regarding sales tax vary widely from state to state.

On average, the impact of sales tax on Americans is about 2 percent of their personal income. Sales tax provides nearly one-third of state government revenue and is second only to the income tax in terms of importance as a source of revenue. Reliance on the sales tax varies widely by state. Sales taxes are much more important in the south and west than they are in New England and the industrial Midwest. Florida, Washington, Tennessee, and Texas all generate more than 50 percent of their tax revenue from the sales tax, and several of these states raise nearly 60 percent of their tax revenue from the sales tax. New York, on the other hand, only raises about 20 percent of its revenues from the sales tax.

The following is an overview of the sales tax rates for different states.

State General State Sales Tax Max Tax Rate with Local/City Sale Tax
Alabama 4% 13.50%
Alaska 0% 7%
Arizona 5.60% 10.73%
Arkansas 6.50% 11.63%
California 7.25% 10.50%
Colorado 2.90% 10%
Connecticut 6.35% 6.35%
Delaware 0% 0%
District of Columbia 6% 6%
Florida 6% 7.50%
Georgia 4% 8%
Guam 4% 4%
Hawaii 4.17% 4.71%
Idaho 6% 8.50%
Illinois 6.25% 10.25%
Indiana 7% 7%
Iowa 6% 7%
Kansas 6.50% 11.50%
Kentucky 6% 6%
Louisiana 4.45% 11.45%
Maine 5.50% 5.50%
Maryland 6% 6%
Massachusetts 6.25% 6.25%
Michigan 6% 6%
Minnesota 6.88% 7.88%
Mississippi 7% 7.25%
Missouri 4.23% 10.85%
Montana 0% 0%
Nebraska 5.50% 7.50%
Nevada 6.85% 8.25%
New Hampshire 0% 0%
New Jersey 6.63% 12.63%
New Mexico 5.13% 8.69%
New York 4% 8.88%
North Carolina 4.75% 7.50%
North Dakota 5% 8%
Ohio 5.75% 8%
Oklahoma 4.50% 11%
Oregon 0% 0%
Pennsylvania 6% 8%
Puerto Rico 10.50% 11.50%
Rhode Island 7% 7%
South Carolina 6% 9%
South Dakota 4% 6%
Tennessee 7% 9.75%
Texas 6.25% 8.25%
Utah 5.95% 8.35%
Vermont 6% 7%
Virginia 5.30% 6%
Washington 6.50% 10.40%
West Virginia 6% 7%
Wisconsin 5% 6.75%
Wyoming 4% 6%

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

VAT is the version of sales tax commonly used outside of the U.S. in over 160 countries. VAT is an indirect tax that is imposed at different stages of the production of goods and services, whenever value is added. Countries that impose a VAT can also impose it on imported and exported goods. All participants in a supply chain, such as wholesalers, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers, will usually need to pay VAT, not just the end consumer, as is done with U.S. sales tax. VAT can be calculated as the sales price minus the costs of materials or parts used that have been taxed already.

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