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Sales Taxes In The United States Washington Article
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Learning about Government Taxes on Sales
from:When you consider the meaning of government taxes on sales, several thoughts may come into your mind. In all probability, the first thing that will come into mind is a state sales tax. Although this is the most common, it is not the only means. Some states also have a use tax, a luxury tax, and other types of government taxes on sales. On some products, there is also a federal excise tax on certain products, though it usually pertains to communications products such as telephones and mobile devices.
Other government taxes on sales you may find include transfer taxes on a car, real estate transfer taxes, cigarette tax, alcohol tax, gasoline tax, luxury tax usually charged for hotel/motel stays, and transportation taxes on airline, bus, and train tickets. Many other government taxes on sales are possible, but many are hidden so that the consumer is not aware of all of the potential taxes. One might also consider the gross receipts tax in the category of government taxes on sales since it involves the taxation of a company's sales.
These government taxes on sales can increase the price of good to where the average consumer cannot afford the product. With so many taxes, consumer goods become unmanageable for some people. What that means for the retailer that they lose money in sales or have to compensate in some way. For example, in the past when you bought a new car, you had to pay the transfer tax in addition to any down payment that you were making, but with the price of cars, in order to keep sales, the dealerships and banks had to resort to allowing customers to include the transfer taxes in their loan. Unfortunately, the same does not hold true of transfer taxes on real estate; it must be paid at the closing, and with the median price of homes today, it can be a rather substantial sum of money to pay.
With so many different taxes, sometimes the consumer can feel like he or she is taxed excessively, but the fact that things are spread throughout a number of products usually makes it more manageable. The problem enters the picture with high-ticket items such as cars and real estate because even if the transfer tax is only 2 per cent as it is in some states, that can add up if you're buying a $20,000 car or a $150,000 home. In that case, a person has to decide if they want or need the car or home enough to dig deeper into their pockets to pay the government taxes on sales or wait until a later date. Unfortunately, the only thing a later date might accomplish is the possibility of a lower price on the item, not a decrease in the tax.
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