I am visiting the US, I would like to no how the goods I purchase are taxed at the border?

Question

Well, I am heading to the states real soon and I tried looking all over the net to find some information regarding my question. I head that to a certain amount of purchases are not taxed, also domestic products are not taxed. If anyone has visited the states recently or knows any information on how much I can purchase without paying a tax, or what products are not included in the import taxes that would be awesome. Thanks

Answer 1

Most states in the US levy a sales tax on most goods. Each state that levies one has it's own rules and tax structure. If you purchase taxable goods, the tax will be added on when you complete the purchase.

Sales taxes are similar to VAT in some ways but are NOT included in the shelf price. They are added on at the point of purchase.

There is no tax refund program for visitors, unlike many countries have for their national rate VAT programs. There are literally thousands of taxing districts in the US and it would be impossible to administer any type of refund program. On balance, sales taxes in the US are typically about half of what the VAT is in most other countries.

And you may be pleasantly surprised by the prices here as well. With the dollar in the toilet, it's not at all unusual to find goods here costing less than half of what you are accustomed to paying back home even with the sales tax added on. For example, you can buy a good pair of brand-named jeans in the us for the equivalent of about £10 or 12 Euros! And a high-end pair of designer jeans would be less than £40 or 50 Euros.

Whatever you have to pay when returning home is between you and your country's customs service. Check with them before you leave so you don't get any nasty surprises on the way home.