[brador]

Would it be easier if there was a single EU wide VAT rate?

[cbd1984]

Just so you aren't confused, there is no VAT in the US, and sales tax is set by states, not cities.

More information:

https://www.sba.gov/content/collecting-sales-tax-over-intern...

[xrange]

To further eliminate the possibilities of confusion, at least in Washington state, there is a state-wide retail sales tax, and there are additional sales taxes based upon the city or county where the transaction occurs. There are over 400 different taxing regions in Washington state.

http://dor.wa.gov/Content/GetAFormOrPublication/FormBySubjec...

[laurencerowe]

Yes. But at least its not as bad as the US where each city seems to have its own VAT rate...

[cbd1984]

There is no VAT in the US.

Even if you mean sales tax, that's set on a state-by-state basis, and you only have to collect sales tax in a state if you have a physical presence there:

https://www.sba.gov/content/collecting-sales-tax-over-intern...

[laurencerowe]

Sorry, I did mean sales tax. Here in CA it is set per city: http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pam71.htm

In the US it seems the onus is put on the consumer rather than the business. We should all be declaring our out of state purchases on our tax returns... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_tax