scrubbedexpat091

In California the state sales tax is roughly 8.25% this base amount is the same no matter where in the state you are.

Once local county and city governments add their share you can get close to 10%, I know there are 9.75% rates out there and not sure if that's the highest.

Even with the same county the tax rate will vary city to city.

Example: County of San Diego has 18 citys within the county, my city the sales tax is 8.75% go over to another city and it might be 9.50-9.75% depending where you are within the county.


It can get confusing at times, as you never quite know what the actual sales tax rate is.

hobbes79

We live in Mass but are about a 10-min drive to the New Hampshire border.

In New Hampshire, they don't have ANY sales tax.

So it's a nice trick if you want to save at least 5% on a purchase. Not worth the effort for small things and clothes in Mass are tax free anyway, but handy if you want to buy a TV or something substantial.

Also good for alcohol, which is tax free and no bottle deposits in NH.

Bob

People get arsey if you try doing bottle returns in MA from NH bottles though

Don't know how they'd know and there's quite a big fine apparently...all very daft.

Sales tax in MA is 6.25% these days...so yeah, worth nipping over the border for anything over a few hundred bucks, but not for a car as you'd have to show NH registration that is 12 months old to not get taxed on it registering it in MA.

Oh and smokes aren't taxed up there either...but you are only allowed to bring so much booze and smokes over the border apparently, not really enforced unless it's the quota time of the month though.