Washington Sales Tax for Non-residents

[Pete Dumbleton]

According to dor.wa.gov/docs/Pubs/ExciseTax/RetailSales_UseTax/RetailSales.pdf:

QUOTE
sales tax exemptions
Some of the most common exemptions
from the retail sales tax include:

Sales to Nonresidents:
Sales of products in Washington for
use outside Washington to residents
of states, Canadian Provinces, or
US territories that impose a sales
tax of less than three percent
may be exempt. (See Excise Tax
Advisory 2014.08.193 for additional
information.)

Interstate and Foreign Sales:
All sales of goods delivered to buyers
outside Washington are exempt from
the retail sales tax. Likewise, sales of
items for use in Alaska, Hawaii, and
noncontiguous US territories are
exempt, if delivered for direct
shipment out-of-state.
(WAC 458-20-193)
END QUOTE

[Donna D.]

It's been that way forever, but is pretty much up to the retailer to decide. Lots of retail places in Washington won't recognize this if the purchase is less than "whatever" Typically $50.

The stickler is this quote: Sales to Nonresidents:
Sales of products in Washington for
use outside Washington to residents
of states, Canadian Provinces, or
US territories that impose a sales
tax of less than three percent
may be exempt. (See Excise Tax
Advisory 2014.08.193 for additional
information.)

How many states have a less than three percent sales tax????

[Byron Kinnaman]

It's been that way forever, but is pretty much up to the retailer to decide. Lots of retail places in Washington won't recognize this if the purchase is less than "whatever" Typically $50.

The stickler is this quote: Sales to Nonresidents:
Sales of products in Washington for
use outside Washington to residents
of states, Canadian Provinces, or
US territories that impose a sales
tax of less than three percent
may be exempt. (See Excise Tax
Advisory 2014.08.193 for additional
information.)

How many states have a less than three percent sales tax????

Maybe 5... Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon,

[Pete Dumbleton]

I learned about it when a friend from Delaware was buying some stuf at WalMart in WA. The cashier wanted to see his DL (because he, like me, marked his CC "Ask for ID") and when she saw DE, she told him he could ask her to take the tax off.

Also, I recently bought a present for a cousin Back East and the shop told me that if they shipped it, there would be no sales tax.

[Donna D.]

Also, I recently bought a present for a cousin Back East and the shop told me that if they shipped it, there would be no sales tax.

Here in Oregon, we don't have sales tax, but if you live elsewhere (say, Arizona) and purchase something here, put it on a charge card and have it shipped from the store to Arizona... YOU HAVE TO PAY ARIZONA SALES TAX. Go figure, happened to my Mother when she bought drapery here in Oregon, but had it shipped to her home in Arizona. Needless to say, she wasn't happy. She said it would have been cheaper to pay for an extra suitcase and fly it home on the plane with her.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Here in Oregon, we don't have sales tax, but if you live elsewhere (say, Arizona) and purchase something here, put it on a charge card and have it shipped from the store to Arizona... YOU HAVE TO PAY ARIZONA SALES TAX. Go figure, happened to my Mother when she bought drapery here in Oregon, but had it shipped to her home in Arizona. Needless to say, she wasn't happy. She said it would have been cheaper to pay for an extra suitcase and fly it home on the plane with her.

I believe that this only applies if there is a brick and mortar store(business presence) in AZ. It should be no different than any catalog order sales. Many States have been trying to change this for several years because of the increased on-line purchasing. Since I own a web store I've followed this whole interstate sales tax thing pretty closely.

[Donna D.]

You're right Byron, it was a brick-n-mortar store... the ole Meir & Frank downtown. I could see it, if she had been in Arizona and ordered it from M&F and had it shipped. But, she walked into the store and paid for it. I think if she could have gotten her hands around the manager's neck, she would have wrung it... after she found out about the sales tax. It must be one of those small print things.