You could say that sales taxes are the form of taxation that truly affects every person – it’s the classic consumption tax.  It is also the one politicians often reach for first to ratchet-up to fund their next project du jour. That being said, the folks over at the Tax Foundation recently put together some numbers showing combined sales tax rates (state & local where applicable) for each state.  Interestingly, five states do not have statewide sales taxes: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. However, Alaska does allows localities to charge local sales taxes.  Indeed…

“Sales taxes are just one part of an overall tax structure and should be considered in context. For example, Tennessee has high sales taxes but no income tax, whereas Oregon has no sales tax but high income taxes. While many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within policymakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.”

This article was republished from Real Estate Investing Today, a weekly blog from the National REIA. Read more at realestateinvestingtoday.com.