# How much combined sales tax do you pay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2019, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835 "2019-08-18T10:45:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/1 "2019-08-18T10:45:31Z")
I saw this article and wasn’t particularly impressed. Isn’t most people’s sales tax around 9 to 10%? The poll they did doesn’t really mean much. N Little Rock is 9.5%. 6.5% Ark state sales tax, 2% city, 1% county. Little Rock is 9% the city gets 1.5% Generally crossing the bridge into N Little Rock isn’t a big deal. The extra .5% on Restaurant bills is negligible. You’d probably want to buy your new 28k car in Little Rock. We do have a low state income tax rate that offsets the sales tax. How much combined sales tax do you pay? > **[These cities have the highest sales taxes in the US](https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/where-are-sales-taxes-the-highest)** > > This Midwest hub isn't the only city putting the tax squeeze on residents. > [@](#): > > Chicago ties for the top spot alongside two cities in California, Long Beach and Glendale, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based non-partisan tax research organization. > > The three cities each levy a combined state and local sales tax of 10.25 percent on purchases. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/2 "2019-08-18T10:53:15Z")
ElDorado AR is even higher 9.75% state 6.5% county 2%, city 1.25% Fayetteville, Arkansas is also 9.75%. county 1.25 and city 2% where you live makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/3 "2019-08-18T10:54:33Z")
10%, called GST here. It’s the same nationwide in Australia, with no local variation. Quite handy, that; the price on the shelf will be the final price you pay. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/4 "2019-08-18T11:02:29Z")
Still looking around my state. Texarkana ties with Chicago but that article doesn’t mention our city. Not that record high sales tax is anything to celebrate. 😉 The combined sales tax rate for Texarkana, AR is 10.25%. This is the total of state, county and city sales tax rates. The Arkansas state sales tax rate is currently 6.5%. The Miller County sales tax rate is 1.25%.Texarkana: 2.5% ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/5 "2019-08-18T11:20:23Z")
No, sales tax ranges from 0% in a handful of states to 10%+. I think the high mark is California and Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/6 "2019-08-18T12:11:58Z")
New York has a 4% state tax and a 4% local tax. New York City adds an extra 0.5%. So it’s 8-8.5% overall. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/7 "2019-08-18T12:41:55Z")
6% in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/8 "2019-08-18T14:52:31Z")
TN is roughly 9.75%. However, we have no income tax. StG ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/9 "2019-08-18T15:00:22Z")
I pay 10% in Washington. The rate depends on where you live. I’ll drive 8 miles from Auburn to Covington to take advantage of the 8.6% rate there. The tax rate is going to 9.4% in Covington next month, that will likely not make it worth the drive for me. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/10 "2019-08-18T15:05:58Z")
Here in NYC it’s 8.875%, but clothing/shoes under $110 and non-prepared foods are not taxed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/11 "2019-08-18T15:09:15Z")
11%: 5% GST (feds) + 6% PST (province) Here’s a table for all of Canada: [Harmonized sales tax calculator GST / PST or HST 2019](http://www.calculconversion.com/sales-tax-calculator-hst-gst.html) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/12 "2019-08-18T15:18:33Z")
9%. But zero state income tax. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/13 "2019-08-18T15:21:40Z")
None. That’s Oregon–Washingtonians come here to shop. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/14 "2019-08-18T15:37:37Z")
Sales tax is 20% in Austria. You can also see a nifty [bar chart showing the sales tax (VAT) rates in other EU countries](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taux_standard_de_TVA_dans_les_pays_europ%C3%A9ens.svg), which ranges from 17% to 27%. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/15 "2019-08-18T16:09:13Z")
I pay 10.5% in Lynnwood Washington. Fox might be using old data, I think last year we were at 10%. Edit: They were only looking at major cities, that’s why the discrepancy ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/16 "2019-08-18T16:10:38Z")
The state sales tax in Kansas is 6.5%, but cities, counties, and various special districts can impose additional taxes. For example, the “Goodland Holiday Inn Express Community Improvement District” is at 11% (state 6.5%, Cheyenne County 2%, Goodland city 0.5%, and 2% for the CID), and there’s a convenience store in Chanute that charges 11.5%. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/17 "2019-08-18T16:19:17Z")
Maine has a state sales tax of 5.5% on most goods. There are no taxes on most services, but a handful of services are taxed at 6%. So when you take your car in for servicing, the parts are taxed but the labor is not. There are no county or local sales taxes. Ordinary groceries are not taxed. Meals, whether at a restaurant or from the grocery store, are taxed at 8%. Buying sandwich fixings and make your own sandwiches incurs zero tax. Buying a wrapped ready-made sandwich from the same grocery store incurs an 8% tax. Hotel rooms are taxed at 9%. Car rentals are also taxed, but I’m not sure what the rate is. There was recently a proposal to let towns and cities add an additional 1% meals and hotel tax but it failed. I used to live across the border in New Hampshire, there is no tax on general merchandise. Meals and rooms are taxed at 9%. I think car rentals are also taxed, but I’m not sure. Before that I lived in West Virginia. Back then the general tax rate was 5% but it applied to everything, even groceries, which shocked me. Until I moved there, I’d never heard of a state that taxed groceries. I gather that since I moved away they have raised the rate to 6% but they now exempt ordinary groceries. They still tax meals. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/18 "2019-08-18T17:49:21Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > None. That’s Oregon–Washingtonians come here to shop. And technically Washingtonians are supposed to self-report those purchases and pay use tax to Washington state. Also, you should know that Oregonians visiting Washington now have to pay sales tax at the register. They can then apply for a refund from Washington’s Department of Revenue. (It was recently changed from when you could avoid paying sales tax to begin with.) My local rate is 9% ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Render](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Grim\_Render](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Render)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/19 "2019-08-18T20:13:28Z")
Norway here. 0 to 25 %, depending on what you are buying or renting. In general its set up so basic services and entertainment have no or reduced VAT. No VAT on any form of healthcare, social businesses such as childminding or kindergartens, education, theater, circus and similar, art, finance and property, all turnover below 6000$. Things like food, transport, cinema tickets etc is half VAT. Generally, VAT do not act like a tax and we do not call it a tax. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835/20 "2019-08-18T20:16:26Z")
7.something something locally. Just went up .25% to spend a bunch of money on schools (YAY!) and a new ice arena (dumb). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-combined-sales-tax-do-you-pay/838835.md?page=2)