List Sales Tax in the 50 States

There are many online websites that list sales tax in the 50 states. This can help you to determine what sales tax rate you will expect to pay if you shop in a state other than the one in which you live.

Many different websites list the sales tax rates for states throughout the US. Websites that provide comprehensive lists of sales tax for all 50 states include Tax Admin.org and Retirement Living.com, among others.

• Tax Admin.org lists the tax rate for each state, along with exemptions for things like food.
• Retirement Living.com lists the sales tax rate along with other tax rates that are relevant to the cost of living in a given state. These tax rates listed include the gasoline and diesel taxes. 

Sales Tax By State

Sales tax must be collected by retailers on eligible purchases made. Generally, this includes the purchase of most items with the exception of food items and other necessities. Fast food items or prepared food items are often not part of the exclusions. In other words, you may not pay taxes on a banana from the grocery store, but you might pay taxes on a hamburger made at McDonalds or some other restaurant.

Online Shopping and Sales Tax

Many people opt to shop online to avoid paying state sales tax. Generally, a store that makes a sale online is not required to collect sales tax unless it is shipping the item to a location within the state where it maintains a physical presence. For example, if ABC Electronics online was located in New York and had a physical store within New York, it would need to charge sales tax to New York residents, even if their items were purchased online. It would not need to charge sales tax to residents of other states that it shipped items to.

It is also important to note that some states require you to report online purchases and pay sales tax on those purchases if it was not charged to you. You should check with an accountant if you have doubts about what your tax obligations are.