My understanding is that sales tax is ALWAYS charged at the rate your store location is. At the end of the vacation, someone who lives in a non-sales tax area like USVI, can fill out paperwork and send that with reciepts of sales tax paid and be reimbursed for those expenses. Its propably only worth the time if large items are purchased. This paperwork is a filing with the state gov't not the store. Forms can probably be found at an accountants office.

Now, if the couple called on the phone and ordered items to be shipped out of state, than their is no interstate sales tax. The item would not have tax. To anywhere, unless noted in your tax book from the state. It would be up to the couple to file use tax on the item.

Chuck, Tax has been made a very useful, powerful, confusing pile of crap by gov't. And each level basically wants it paid somewhere somehow. All you need to worry about is it a body is buying something in your store, It doesn't matter where thier from. They pay tax and not at their rate. At your rate. Only two exeptions resale where a venders liscense is presented, and tax exempt where a tax id number is presented. Tax exempt are churches organizations and non profits not vacationers.

Also, vehicles that are to be licensed out of state are not subject to local sales taxes. Taxes would be settled in the state that the vehicle is licensed. For example, if you buy a car in Ca and license it in Or. (which has no sales tax) you pay no sales tax.

Hello,

I have always paid the sales tax wherever I was...

I have seen at some airports an office for international visitors to file to get sales taxes paid while shopping back... I don't know the specifics or the application to domestic visitors??

--Islander

Here in New York state we're actually supposed to PAY sales tax on items purchased in states and territories (including reservations) where no sales tax is charged. We are to self declare on our tax forms how much tax (at 8.75%) we did NOT pay and then pay it. Since food in a restaurant is taxed up here, I wonder if I have to pay for restaurant meals purchased and consumed in the USVI 😉 The geniuses in our state government (our budget hasn't been on time in 20 years) figure this will raise millions, perhaps even billions. There's a big fight with the Native Americans over cigarettes even now.

That is called a use tax as well. In Ohio, the same applies. In a state with no sales tax, the person can fill out a form to recieve the tax back on receipts from other states.
Also, the whole plate thing is false. I have a business in Ohio and if the shopper is physically in my store, I have to collect the 7.25% tax. We could argue all day but it doesn't negate the fact that I am responsible to do this as a business owner, and to understand the process of collecting tax for Ohio Gov't and filing and paying the said tax of an item on time.