California has a sales and use tax….which means you still have to pay tax on things you buy online or out-of-state if you’re going to USE them in California:
“The obligation is on the consumer to pay the use tax when the retailer doesn’t charge sales tax.”
Anita Gore is with the Board of Equalization. She says the average family owes about 47 dollars a year in use tax – but many people don’t report it. She says that adds up to more than a billion dollars a year in lost tax revenue:
“A billion dollars that doesn’t go into the state’s coffers to help support public safety, public health, transportation and all of those other things that Californians enjoy.”
Gore says the easiest way to pay use tax is to add up your receipts, then report the amount you owe on your state tax return.