Local taxes in the USA - tourist regulations

I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3 decent
lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes, particularly in
California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are there taxes applied to
camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get back if he follows certain
rules or produces certain documents are the airport when he leaves?

--
The email address used to post is a spam pit. Contact me at
http://www.derekfountain.org : a
href="http://www.derekfountain.org/"Derek Fountain/a

Derek Fountain wrote:
I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3
decent lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes,
particularly in California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are
there taxes applied to camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get
back if he follows certain rules or produces certain documents are
the airport when he leaves?

Local sales tax in the US, unlike VAT in many EU countries, is State
based so it is not exactly the same from state to state and some states have
none at all. It can even have different rates in different cities.

It is fundamentally different in that it is a (retail) sales tax so it
attaches at the time of the sale and is based on the sale. In general it
will not be attached to sales to out of the US. However to qualify you
generally have to have the product shipped out of the US and can not take
delivery in the US. Some states also have a use tax, but that should not
generally apply to you as it applies to new property brought in or shipped
into the state for use in that state.

I don't have the specifics of the California tax, but I suspect you can
find information on the state web site.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 10:26:51 +0800, Derek Fountain
wrote:

I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3 decent
lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes, particularly in
California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are there taxes applied to
camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get back if he follows certain
rules or produces certain documents are the airport when he leaves?

Most states aren't geared up for the refund of sales tax to non
residents at all. If you are going to buy in California then you are
probably going to have to pay the sales tax. Some states, Oregon comes
to mind, don't have any sales tax. You won't find any booths at the
airports for the refund of sales tax like the VAT refund in the U.K.

On 2/20/05 8:52 PM, in article ,
"Joseph Meehan" wrote:

Derek Fountain wrote:
I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3
decent lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes,
particularly in California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are
there taxes applied to camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get
back if he follows certain rules or produces certain documents are
the airport when he leaves?

Local sales tax in the US, unlike VAT in many EU countries, is State
based so it is not exactly the same from state to state and some states have
none at all. It can even have different rates in different cities.

It is fundamentally different in that it is a (retail) sales tax so it
attaches at the time of the sale and is based on the sale. In general it
will not be attached to sales to out of the US. However to qualify you
generally have to have the product shipped out of the US and can not take
delivery in the US. Some states also have a use tax, but that should not
generally apply to you as it applies to new property brought in or shipped
into the state for use in that state.

I don't have the specifics of the California tax, but I suspect you can
find information on the state web site.

The following web site lists the tax rates in all US States:
http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/tax_stru.html
Specifically, on their the home page, click on the third item listed under
the Sales Taxes. California, for example, has a state sales tax of 6% and
local jurisdictions can add up to another 2.75%. So the maximum sales tax
that you would find in California would be 8.75%. As stated above if you
are physically in a state (even if you don't live there) and take physical
possession of the purchased item in that state you have to pay the sales
tax.
Chuck

Derek Fountain wrote:
I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3 decent
lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes, particularly in
California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are there taxes applied to
camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get back if he follows certain
rules or produces certain documents are the airport when he leaves?

Yes. If you buy at a 'duty free' shop in an airport, you can save the
state tax, and I believe, the federal excise tax. You may find this
limits your choice of cameras, however.


--
Ron Hunter

"Derek Fountain" wrote in message
...
I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3 decent
lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes, particularly in
California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are there taxes applied
to
camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get back if he follows certain
rules or produces certain documents are the airport when he leaves?

No states in the US refund taxes to out-of-country residents. However, you
can avoid state taxes by having the camera shipped to a different state,
e.g. if you're going to visit New York and California, buy the camera in New
York and have it shipped to your hotel in California. I don't know for
certain whether this will work if you have the camera shipped out of the US.
However, if you take possession of the camera, you'll have to pay the going
state and municipal tax. Depending on where your are in California, it can
approach 9%.



--
The email address used to post is a spam pit. Contact me at
http://www.derekfountain.org : a
href="http://www.derekfountain.org/"Derek Fountain/a

And he'll find that state sales taxes are not totally state based.
Localities are allowed to add their own little riders--in CA, sales
taxes range from 7-1/4% to 8-3/4%.

In article ,
says...
I'll be visiting the USA in 2 months time and will be buying 2 or 3 decent
lenses - the low US$ is a great thing for some of us. )

I was after a little guidance on the issue of local taxes, particularly in
California, where I'm likely to do the shopping. Are there taxes applied to
camera kit that a tourist can get avoid/get back if he follows certain
rules or produces certain documents are the airport when he leaves?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: You're not paying a Value Added Tax, you're paying a local
sales tax. Even if the United States was as generous to refund a
portion of your taxes paid as a tourist, the US Customs Service, a
Federal agency, would have no authority or means to do so.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/

In article ,
says...
However, you
can avoid state taxes by having the camera shipped to a different state,
e.g. if you're going to visit New York and California, buy the camera in New
York and have it shipped to your hotel in California.

I don't know any reputable dealer that would ship to an unverified
address like a hotel - especially if you're paying by credit card.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/

In article ,
says...
However, you
can avoid state taxes by having the camera shipped to a different state,
e.g. if you're going to visit New York and California, buy the camera in New
York and have it shipped to your hotel in California.

I don't know any reputable dealer that would ship to an unverified
address like a hotel - especially if you're paying by credit card.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/