Salinas (CA) Sales Tax

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The Salinas sales tax rate is 9.25%

Taxing jurisdiction Rate
California state sales tax 6.00%
Monterey County sales tax 0.25%
City tax 1.50%
Special tax 1.50%
Combined Sales Tax 9.25%

Salinas sales Tax Calculator California

To make it easier to calculate the Salinas (CA) Sales tax, we have created a calculator. All that you need to input is the zip code and the number of goods bought. The calculator will tell you how much you should approximately pay in sales tax. The tools are free to use and very simple.

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How does the Salinas sales tax compare to the rest of California?

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Each vendor in the USA needs to charge sales tax to the items and services that they sell. The Department of Revenue collects the sales tax proceeds from the vendors. The Salinas, CA sales tax rate is 9.25%. This includes 6.00% California state sales tax, 0.25% Monterey County sales tax and 1.50% special tax.

A merchant adds the sales tax to all the qualifying sales completed in Salinas, CA. The Salinas sales tax should be clearly stated on the invoice. There are some specific goods and services are tax-exempt in Salinas (California). Alcohol, tobacco and gas are subject to excise tax.


The 9.25% sales tax rate of the Salinas, CA applies to the following list of zip codes: 93901, 93902, 93905, 93906, 93912, 93915.

The vendor needs to check their district zip code to make sure that they are charging the right sales tax for the business transactions.

There are 119907 people in and around Salinas. It is important to be aware that zip-code boundaries do not always coincide with general boundaries. Therefore, when choosing sales tax rates, you should not focus only on zip-codes. In the event of a dispute, it is recommended that you contact the Internal Revenue Service to determine sales tax rates for you.

Alternative sales tax rate for Salinas

City Combined Tax State Rate County Tax City Tax Special Tax
Fresno 8.35% 6.00% 0.25% 0.38% 1.73%

Marina

9.25% 6.00% 0.25% 1.50% 1.50%

Greenfield

9.50% 6.00% 0.25% 1.75% 1.50%

King City

8.75% 6.00% 0.25% 1.00% 1.50%

Carmel

7.75% 6.00% 0.25% 0% 1.50%

Popular questions about sales tax in Salinas

Where to pay sales tax on car?

When you purchase a car, the laws regarding the applicable sales tax are a bit more complicated. The first factor to consider is that there is a base 6% sales tax. Let’s say that your car costs 10k. You pay 6% on that, which is $600 on sales tax. On top of this cost, you also pay fees for vehicle registration and licenses. If you complete the transaction via a dealership, then all this paperwork and its cost are factored in on the sales agreement. If you buy the car via a private seller, then it is you, the buyer that needs to process all this paperwork via the local tax office and vehicle registration office. You would be responsible for paying registration fees and the title.

States allow for trade-in allowances, and this is a fantastic way to reduce your tax bill. Instead of selling your old vehicle, and then incurring sales taxes on that transaction, you can bring your old vehicle to the dealership and do a trade-in allowance for a new car. The value of the trade-in is reduced from the sticker price of the car that your intent to purchase. Then some dealerships offer rebates, which further reduces your total sales tax.

Let’s say that you will purchase the same car as in the above example that costs 10k. Instead, this time you have an old car to do a trade-in that is valued at 2k. The dealership offers you a 1k rebate offer. In that case, your sales tax will not be charged anymore on the original price of 10k, but it will be charged on the reduced price after the rebate and the trade-in. More specifically, we will reduce from 10k, the value of the rebate (1k) and the value of the trade-in (2k), hence a total of 3k of discount. We would end up paying out-of-pocket 7k. The applicable sales tax on a 7k car is $7000*6%= $420. We can see that we are paying a lower sales tax compared to the previous tax of $600. We are not paying any taxes on the old car that you brought for a rebate and not paying any sales taxes on that.

What state has the highest sales tax?

Sales taxes rates change by zip code as each county can impose its own sales taxes. When we factor both state taxes and local taxes, we can see that in all USA, there are some areas that you end up paying more in sales taxes. We will list the top 5 states in the USA that have the highest sales taxes.

  • New York has a state tax of 4%. A during up the local taxes, the final tax rate can add up to 8.5%. The metro city area has a surcharge of 0.375% to fund public transport. Groceries and drugs are tax-exempt in NY.
  • Then we have Kansas. It has a state sales tax of 6.25%. Some local areas can charge an additional 4%. The average sales tax rate in Kansas is 8.7%, even though some areas can reach up to 10%. The sales tax applies to everything; hence it is very expensive there.
  • California has a state tax of 7.25% and local areas can charge an additional 2.5%. The average combined sales tax is 8.82%.
  • Illinois has a state tax of 6.25% and some local areas charge up to 4.75%. The average sales tax rate is 8.83%.
  • Oklahoma has a state tax of 4.75% and local areas can charge up to 7% extra on sales taxes. The average sales tax is 8.95%.
How is an excise tax different from a sales tax?

There are some special goods and services that do not qualify for the sales tax rate but instead are charged another rate. The most common category of these items falls under the excise tax. This is a special tax rate that is charged to gas, fuel, tobacco, and other goods that are heavily regulated by the government. Some services qualify for excise tax, such as using the highway. Air travel is in this category too.

Where does sales tax go?

Sales taxes are collected by the Department of Revenue. The taxes go to the General Fund, and it funds government expenses. Some parts of the sales tax fund state operations, such as K-12 education. The money can be used to fund other public services. The money collected from taxes is also used to pay the wages of jobs that are related to government agencies, such as police departments, libraries, museums, etc.

Who pays sales tax?

The first detail to know about sales taxes is that some states imposer the sale tax on the vendor, some to the buyer, and some states place sales taxes on both entities. It is important to know who pays the tax, as this affects whether you can claim the taxes as a refund or not.