sales tax

American  

noun

sales taxes plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sales taxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sales tax

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sales tax

These prices are likely to continue facing mixed cues, including the situation in the Middle East, a weak yen, government energy subsidies, rising packaging costs, and planned food sales tax cuts, economists say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Oklahoma: Clothing and shoes under $100 per item are exempt from sales tax Aug. 7-9.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

For instance, someone who purchased a $1,400 laptop in Tennessee during tax-free weekend would save $98 on the waived 7% state sales tax plus $21 to $38 on local taxes, depending on the county.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Hochul also said she would pursue legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for massive data centers in the state.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Jesus—$18.95 P^us the 3 per cent sales tax which Tubs figured out would make a grand total of $19.52, the sales tax amounting to fifty-seven cents.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier