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Sales tax is a consumption tax levied by state and local governments in the United States on the retail sale of goods and, in many states, certain services. Unlike a federal income tax, there is no single national sales tax rate — each of the 45 states that imposes one sets its own base rate, and counties and cities can layer additional local rates on top of it.

The tax is calculated as a percentage of the purchase price. When you buy a $50 item in a state with an 8% rate, the retailer collects $4.00 in sales tax and remits it to the state on your behalf — you never directly file or pay it. The combined rate you see at checkout is the sum of the state, county, and city rates that apply to your location.

Five states — Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon — impose no statewide sales tax. They fund government services through higher income taxes, property taxes, or other revenue sources. Alaska is a partial exception: it has no state tax but allows local governments to charge their own, so some Alaskan cities do have sales tax.