Rating 4, 6 (294), 02 Calculate your tax refund or how much you can owe the IRS with TaxCaster, our free tax calculator that keeps up to date with the latest tax laws so you can. A sales tax is a consumption tax paid to a government for the sale of certain goods and services. Generally, the seller collects sales tax from the consumer when the consumer makes a purchase. In most countries, sales tax is referred to as value added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST), which is a different form of consumption tax. In some countries, the stated prices for goods and services are the pre-tax value and sales tax only applies during the purchase.
In other countries, the prices indicated are the final values after taxes, which include sales tax. In the United States, sales tax at the federal level does not exist. At the state level, all but five states (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam) do not have state sales taxes. These are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. States that impose a sales tax have different rates, and even within states, local or municipal sales taxes may come into play.
Unlike VAT (which does not apply in the United States), the sales tax rate ranges from 0% to 16% depending on the state and type of good or service, and all states differ in the application of sales tax. In Texas, prescription drugs and food seeds are exempt from taxes. Vermont has a general sales tax of 6%, but an additional 10% tax is added to purchases of alcoholic beverages that are consumed immediately. These are just several examples of differences in taxation in different jurisdictions.
The rules and regulations related to sales tax vary widely from state to state. On average, the impact of sales tax on Americans is approximately 2 percent of their personal income. Sales tax provides nearly a third of state government revenue and is second only to income tax in terms of importance as a source of revenue. Confidence in sales tax varies widely by state. Sales taxes are much more important in the South and West than in New England and the industrial Midwest. Florida, Washington, Tennessee and Texas generate more than 50 percent of their tax revenues from sales tax, and several of these states collect nearly 60 percent of their sales tax revenues.
New York, on the other hand, only collects about 20 percent of its sales tax revenues. The following is an overview of sales tax rates for different states. When filing federal income tax, taxpayers must choose between taking the standard deduction or itemizing deductions. This decision will be different for everyone, but most Americans choose the standard deduction. Sales tax can be deducted from federal income tax only if the deductions are itemized.
In general, taxpayers who have sales tax as the only deductible expense may find that it's not worth itemizing deductions. Detailing deductions also involves keeping a thorough record and can be a tedious task because the IRS requires the submission of sales tax records, such as one-year purchase receipts. Anyone planning to itemize should keep a detailed record, as it will be very useful in determining the amount of sales tax paid. Once a choice has been made between standard or itemized deductions, taxpayers must make another decision regarding whether or not to claim state and local income taxes or sales taxes (but not both). Most taxpayers choose to deduct income taxes, since they generally get a higher figure. That said, it might be better for taxpayers who made large purchases during the year to deduct sales tax instead of income tax if their total sales tax payments exceed state income tax. Taxpayers who paid for a new car, wedding, engagement ring, vacation, or several major appliances during a tax year may have a higher sales tax payment than their income tax payment.
In reality, less than 2% of Americans claim sales tax as a deduction each year. For more information or to make calculations related to income tax, visit the Income Tax Calculator. VAT is the version of sales tax commonly used outside the U. S. UU.
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 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 normally have to pay VAT, not just the final consumer, as is done with the US. VAT can be calculated as the sales price minus the costs of materials or parts used that have already been taxed. A 1979 study published by the Tax Foundation offered some ideas about the arguments for or against VAT compared to sales tax.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of VAT taxation is that since taxes are applied at every stage of the production chain of a good; Tax evasion becomes difficult. In addition; there are stronger incentives to control costs when all participants involved in a supply chain pay taxes. Compared to sales tax, VAT has capacity to generate more revenue at a given rate. On other hand; VAT tends to be regressive; that is; it takes proportionately larger amounts from people with lower incomes. In addition; cascading taxation is detrimental to new and marginal business activities; is likely to trigger inflationary trends; and is harmful to exports. For more information or to make calculations related to VAT; visit VAT Calculator Goods and Services Tax (GST) is similar to VAT; It is an indirect sales tax that applies to certain goods and services at multiple instances of a supply chain.
The taxes in several countries that impose GST or VAT are so different that no word can define them correctly. The countries that define their sales tax as GST are Spain; Greece; India;... When filing federal income taxes; taxpayers should consider all available options carefully before making any decisions regarding deductions. It's important for taxpayers to understand how each type of taxation works so they can make informed decisions about their finances.
Taxpayers should also keep detailed records throughout each year so they can accurately calculate their deductions when filing their taxes. Knowing how much you owe in taxes can help you plan ahead for future expenses. Finally; it's important for taxpayers to stay up-to-date with changes in taxation laws so they can take advantage of any new deductions available. By understanding how taxation works; taxpayers can save money on their taxes while still paying what they owe.
