sales tax

American  

noun

1. a tax on receipts from sales, usually added to the selling price by the seller.

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sales tax British  

noun

1. a tax levied on retail sales receipts and added to selling prices by retailers

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Etymology

Origin of sales tax

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Voters have not rejected a sales tax hike in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

The county currently has a base sales tax rate of 9.75%, and cities impose local taxes on top of that.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

The mayor and the council plan to take a second look at firefighter staffing after the Nov. 3 election, when voters take up a sales tax increase to pay for fire department operations.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Miami residents get all this because of—not in spite of—zero state income taxes, zero estate taxes, a manageable 7% sales tax, and reasonable property taxes and corporate taxes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Meanwhile, Jake scanned the next customer’s items and did the math in his head, remembering to add sales tax to all non-food items.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein