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

The ballot initiative would increase the city’s retail sales tax by a half-cent, from 10.25 cents per dollar spent to 10.75 cents per dollar spent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The head of Asia Pacific says risks are tilted towards the policy rate reaching a lower peak than expected, given Japan’s planned sales tax cut in April could reduce inflation to very low levels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Adding to market concerns was Japan's approval Tuesday of a drastic reduction in the sales tax on food, starting in April.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

So if a venue increases prices to pay staff more, its revenues go up accordingly, and it must pay more sales tax.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 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