Sales Taxes in your area.

[akrvbob]

When it comes to living cheap, you have to consider taxes and the one we forget is sales tax. It can actually be a big chunk of money at the end of the year. 

So how much do you pay in your area?

How do you try to pay less?

Should you factor it into your decision of where to travel to and spend your time?

I'll start with my winter base of [font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] Quartzsite, AZ where the sales tax is 11%! [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg! I think it's a big reason there are less snowbirds coming and those that come stay less time. Many vendors say they won't come back because it's killing their sales. [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]What are you paying?[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Bob[/font]

 

[jl75]

6.25 in Texas.  Quite a bit cheaper

I thought about going to Quartzite for the RTR but I looked at average temps there and it seems it would be freezing at night.  I'd love to go, but I am a wuss with cold temps!  I wouldn't mind paying the higher tax if the weather was warmer lol

 

[Almost There]

13% in Ontario!

We do get *some* small relief from that in the form of a rebate program based on the previous years income. This year I get the grand total of $352.40 split into 4 quarterly payments. Last year it was just over $400. because I earned less in 2013.

The rebate doesn't come close to covering what I pay in sales tax - heck even a tank of gas has $10. to $12. in sales tax added to all the other taxes. It's hidden in the pump price but shown on the sales receipt.

 

[ramblingvanman]

We pay between 6-7%(varies by county) sales tax, but we have no income tax.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Where I live in NY, it's 8%.  4% to the state and 4% to the county.  The county rate can vary a bit - the next county over gets 4.25% so it's 8.25% over there.

States depend on a mix of income and sales tax for their revenue.  AZ probably figures that the snowbirds don't pay any income tax to them, so a higher sales tax shifts some of the tax burden from their residents to the snowbirds.

Only time will tell if this is a smart or dumb idea.

Tax income may go down a bit, but fewer snowbirds may result in lower expenses for the state as well.  And if the locals were getting tired of tripping over snowbirds every time they turned around, they may not care if the tax revenue drops slightly.

Regards
John

 

[Gary68]

zero,zip,nada 0% in Oregon,they get us with income, property tax and whatever else they can think up

 

[highdesertranger]

here in the peoples republic of Kalifornia the state gets 7.5% then everybody else gets involved so it averages 8.5%. highdesertranger

 

[Lostinspace]

I live in Florida so what gsfish said works for me, although sales tax is less in Chipley where most of my shopping is done.

But I go up to Alabama for my gas as its 15 to 20 cents cheaper due to our higher gas tax. Worth the 8 mile trip up to an Alabama gas pump. Yet their sales tax is 9 or 9.5 % in Dothan and 10% in the capital last time I was there.

But I haven't done a state income tax since 1978 when I moved to Florida.

 

[MikeRuth]

here in the peoples republic of Kalifornia the state gets 7.5% then everybody else gets involved so it averages 8.5%.  highdesertranger

In Los Angels HDR it's 9% and that hurt on a car purchase this month.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

In Nevada shop at the thirty stores, they don't have to charge sales tax any more!

 

[Queen]

Here in Volusia County FL it's 6.5%, where I lived in IL (Champaign County) it's 9% now.

 

[sushidog]

In Louisiana the State has a 4% sales tax rate, but the parish and city/town can also add to the sales tax rate, making it grow up to 11% in some locations. In most places it runs 8-9%. Yes they tax everything, including food, meds and billed labor. There is also a state income tax from 2-6% based on income. Their vehicle registration rates are low, but property taxes vary widely. I lost my family home there because they assessed my house far above its actual value, making my yearly property taxes about 4.75% of my home's actual value. That means that the taxes I was supposed to pay (but didn't cause I couldn't afford it) would buy me a new home of equal value to the one I had every 21 years. BTW, this wasn't some mansion in the city, but a 40 yr old country ranch home that my dad built with his own hands with lumber made from trees cut from the property. So you never truly own your home; you rent it from the state. It's like having a 20 year mortgage due to the government that never gets paid off. Now someone else gets to live there who can afford the outrageous taxes. Even if I could afford it, why would I want to pay it?

Chip

 

[eapvan]

It's 6% in Kentucky, but there's no tax on food or meds. Gas is a bit high though.

This isn't exactly a Snowbird Paradise, but there are plenty of remote, beautiful places to go in the summer.

 

[blars]

As stated previously, 0% here in Oregon. No self-serve gas. Josaphine county has little law enforcement since the Feds cut the timber income and the residents won't approve new taxes.

 

[jimindenver]

Here it is hard to tell without a chart for the various municipalities just in the metro area. I believe we charged 7.72% the last time we billed someone for retail. On a larger purchase it may be good to walk across the street and buy it in another city that has lower taxes.

It also depends on what you buy. Pot is legal here and a whooping 35% is added to the normal sales tax.

 

[Canine]

No sales tax in Montana, but we have a "bed tax" when you rent a motel or maybe even an rv space. Not sure about the rv space, though.

 

[Almost There]

No sales tax in Montana, but we have a "bed tax" when you rent a motel or maybe even an rv space. Not sure about the rv space, though.

Appears to apply to only some RV spaces - if base cost is over $22.47. Also doesn't apply if monthly rental.

And then they also have some destination areas that have special taxes over and above.

Lodging Facility Use and Sales Taxes:
There are two taxes imposed on users of an overnight lodging facility (such as a hotel, motel, campground dude ranch, and guest ranch, which are collected by the facility and remitted to the Department of Revenue. These two taxes are a 4% lodging facility use tax, and a 3% lodging facility sales tax, for a combined 7% lodging facility sales and use tax.


The tax applies to charges paid for the use of the facility for lodging, and does not apply to charges for meals, transportation, entertainment or any other similar charge. In addition, the tax does not apply to a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast facility whose average daily accommodation charge for a single person is $22.47 or less, for a facility or unit that is rented by the same user for a period of 30 consecutive days or more, or lodging paid directly by the federal government.

The weird thing is that they don't have a comma between campground and dude ranch...lol

 

[highdesertranger]

spiritual what are the "Thirty Stores". highdesertranger

 

[compassrose]

7.25% in Roswell (Chaves County), NM. I think it is the same in Socorro (Socorro County), NM.

As for "bed tax" if you are paying monthly, the RV site falls under the same category as a rental house or apartment. So no bed tax is collected. That is how it was explained to me by the manager of the last RV park I was in. We were discussing it because a few months ago Chaves County jacked their bed tax up quite a bit. It's how they pay for the things like the UFO festival and other events.

 

[johnny b]

In Virginia we have a base State rate of 4.3%.
Most counties add 1% for 5.3% total.
In the Northern Virginia region there is an additional 0.7 percent state tax for transportation. (The Northern Virginia region includes the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William.)
So that gives Northern Va. a 6% total rate.

Add to that a growing trend nationwide for some localities to add a “Meals Tax”. Arlington County and the City of Alexandria add 4%, Virginia’s state Capitol, Richmond adds 6%, while the beach resort city of Virginia Beach adds 5.5%

So a meal at a restaurant in Arlington hits you with 6% sales PLUS 4% ‘meals’ taxes for a total of 10%.

Now then, let’s say you want to get yer food at the local grocery store, plus a few non food items. You will notice 2 different sales tax rates on yer receipt. 2.5% for “food purchased for home consumption including most staple grocery food items and cold prepared foods packaged for home consumption”, and the ‘normal’ 6% sales tax on non food stuff. (unless you’re in a ‘non Northern Va.’ area of Va. where the ‘normal’ sales tax is 5.3%)

CLEAR AS MUD! :huh:

I can only assume this lunacy is a result of being too close in proximity to all them idiots we elect to sit on their a$$es across the river in DC.