sales tax

noun

: a tax levied on the sale of goods and services that is usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price and collected by the seller

Examples of sales tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All of which led to a humbling vote in 2024 that rejected a proposal to extend a 3/8th-cent sales tax to help fund the team’s would-be new stadium and renovate Arrowhead. —Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2026

After adding in the state and local sales tax, plus the DMV and dealer fees, the out the door and in your driveway total purchase price came to $81,990. —Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026

Voters in the city, ranked by the California Office of Traffic Safety as the second-worst large city in the state for crash injuries and deaths, might soon consider a half-cent sales tax to help close the funding gap. —Chris Fusco. Story Produced With Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026

The FairTax Act of 2025 was the latest bid to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and replace income tax and other levies with a national sales tax. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sales tax

• almanacs
• carrybacks
• haversacks
• lumberjacks
• maniacs
• microcracks
• minimax
• paperbacks
• parallax
• quarterbacks
• sticklebacks
• telefax

Kids Definition

sales tax

noun

: a tax paid on the purchase of goods and services and collected by the seller

Legal Definition

sales tax

noun

: a tax levied on the sale of goods and services that is usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price and collected by the seller