# Cars, Stars & Bowling shoes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2001, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-stars-bowling-shoes/59420 "2001-03-25T16:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![baehler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@baehler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baehler)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-stars-bowling-shoes/59420/1 "2001-03-25T16:17:13Z")
Something that has been bothering me for years… Why, Why, Why Whenever I RENT movies, or RENT a car or RENT anything, I get charged SALES tax? Isn’t a merchant only obligated to charge for sales tax if they are actually selling something? As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as Rental tax. What Gives? ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-stars-bowling-shoes/59420/2 "2001-03-25T20:33:45Z")
In Oklahoma, anyway, sales taxes are officially termed sales/use taxes and therefore cover equipment/videotape/car/etc. rentals. YMMV in your home state. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-stars-bowling-shoes/59420/3 "2001-03-25T23:45:26Z")
[hijack] You can buy a Washington Post for a quarter in a vending machine. If you buy it as a 7-11, it’s 26 cents, because they charge tax. But if you buy it at a restaurant, they charge 2 cents tax (because of local restaurant taxes here in Virginia). _But_, they lower the base price to 24 cents, so the total is just 26 cents. _But why not lower it to 23, to make the total 25 cents?_ :rolleyes: [/hijack]