Originally Posted by
michaelw9408
Bit of an out-of-the box idea: make large-ticket purchases overseas where you can claim a refund on sales tax, then you are effectively cutting down cost of travel by making savings on purchases you would have made anyway.
In Europe, the sales tax would be VAT, in Australia GST etc.
This works best for destinations where you can claim the refund DIY without the need for agents. For example, GST refund at Australian airports is quite straightforward.
Your savings may vary... if I understand correctly there is also no sales tax in Delaware for example.
In the same way, taxes aside, you might find some things are just cheaper thanks to local pricing.
Beware: Many states that have a sales tax also have a compensating "use tax" which they apply to their residents who purchase things elsewhere and then "import" them to use in their home state. If I buy an item overseas or in a state with no sales tax and bring it home to New York, I will owe New York a use tax equal to the applicable sales tax in my county. New York State even has a line on its personal income-tax return on which filers are required to report the tax due on such items.