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This applies to tourist and business travelers visiting the United States as well as citizens returning after being abroad. Returning to the United States after an international trip? There is one simple rule that can save you a lot of trouble at the border: Declare what you bought or acquired while you were outside the […]
Ever wonder why the price displayed in most countries is usually exactly what you pay, but in the United States the price at the register is often higher? The reason is taxes — but different countries handle them differently. More than 170 countries use a VAT (Value Added Tax) or a similar consumption tax. The […]
These aren’t universal fees—the study itself found plenty of properties reporting no fee, while many others reported fees that varied substantially. Resort fees have become a fact of life for many travelers visiting popular U.S. destinations. But how much are these fees actually costing travelers? A 2026 review of hotel resort fees gives us a […]
You found a $99 hotel room. Great deal, right? Maybe not. The advertised room rate is often only the beginning of what you will actually pay. Many hotels in major tourist destinations add mandatory resort fees, destination fees, amenity fees, or similar charges on top of the advertised room rate. And here’s the part that […]
There is a special category of taxes that can be particularly frustrating for travelers: hotel and lodging taxes. They may go by several different names, but the basic idea is the same. Governments have discovered that people staying in hotels, motels, resorts, and short-term rentals can be a convenient source of tax revenue. And travelers—both […]
One thing that surprises many visitors to the United States is that there is no national sales tax. If you’re coming from a country where a national tax such as VAT or GST is applied throughout the country, the American system can seem a little strange at first. In the United States, sales taxes are […]
One of the common questions visitors to the United States have is: Are groceries taxed? The short answer is: sometimes. Unlike some countries where the tax treatment of food is relatively consistent nationwide, the rules in the United States vary from state to state. Some states do not charge sales tax on many basic groceries, […]
Sales Tax in the United States: The Price You See May Not Be the Price You Pay Visitors to the United States quickly discover something that can be confusing—and sometimes annoying: the price you see on the shelf or menu is often not the price you will actually pay. And yes, this annoys those of […]