# Can Anyone Decipher a Walmart Receipt?



## whodunit

This one is from Washington.

To the far right of the item purchased there are letter codes like "X", "N" and "T".

I am fairly sure "N" means "non-taxable" since its food and they don't tax food in WA.

I think "X" is "taxable" since I think everything else is taxed.

But there is one item that has a "T" and I'm not sure what that would be since it's a non-food item.

Any ideas?

I'll just call and ask if I don't get answer here, but I'm on my way to work and thought I would post this quickly before I go.


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## Harry Chickpea

Mmm. My guess is that T is standard taxable, and X is food product taxable, since in some states it wouldn't be taxable.


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## whodunit

Well, I did the math using "X" and "T" as all taxable items and the sales tax don't figure, so something is missing. The items that are marked "T" were $0.48 each, so maybe they don't tax something that low, but I doubt that.


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## whodunit

Harry Chickpea said:


> Mmm. My guess is that T is standard taxable, and X is food product taxable, since in some states it wouldn't be taxable.


"X" are all non-food items. The two food items were "N". The "T" was also non-food.


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## Harry Chickpea

Sales tax on receipts can be surprisingly obtuse. Glancing at some old Walmart receipts, I don't see any consistency between X and T products.


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## emdeengee

X - means taxable item
N - means non-taxable item
T - means taxable item on sale
O - means non-taxable sale item


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## whodunit

emdeengee said:


> X - means taxable item
> N - means non-taxable item
> T - means taxable item on sale
> O - means non-taxable sale item


Thanks, that makes sense! The "T" items were sales items. 

The math still doesn't work though, but I think I just relaized where I went wrong with that. I figured the taxes on the total minus the non-taxable items but did not deduct the taxes from the total.

My next pursuit might be Costco receipts. 

Thanks again!


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## kasilofhome

There is another letter code out there--

H- it is a taxable non food item that Could be a medical tax deduction on the IRS paperwork/


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## kenworth

Sort of a contradictory statement, I thought Wally touted not having any "sales".


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## whodunit

kasilofhome said:


> There is another letter code out there--
> 
> H- it is a taxable non food item that Could be a medical tax deduction on the IRS paperwork/


I don't think Idaho or Washington taxes prescription meds, but I think OTC are still taxed. I had vitamins on the Costco receipt and it apeared to have been taxed.

Personally, I think it's outrageous to tax food. I can see taxing prepared or precooked items, like Washington does, but not just plain, old food. What's next taxing air?


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## whodunit

As an interesting side not, did you know that every state that has a sales tax has a cooreseponding "use tax"? A "use tax" means you have to pay a tax on any non-taxed item you bring in from out-of-state including internet sales.


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## Danaus29

whodunit, some states tax food. PA used to, I don't know about now.


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## whodunit

Idaho does and I think it's wrong, In fact, I'm thinking about leading the charge to stop it. Tax the heck out of liquor, cigarettes (things poeople CAN live without), but food? Come on now. The honest ones report the sales tax on their out of state purchases. The satte has estimated it's losing $30M a year to untaxed internet and out of state transactions. Either enforce that or give it up.

I think the state can raise revenue other ways: out of state hunting and fishing licenses, user fees on lakes, campgrounds, etc. I'm open to any other ideas.


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## FiddleKat

Tennessee taxes food as well. The tax rate is 9.25% where the food tax is about 6%. I agree, food shouldn't be taxed. On average I end up paying an extra ten to twenty dollars, depending on my shopping trip size,just in taxes on food. If it weren't taxed that would be an extra ten to twenty dollars I could use on something else. Like gas in the vehicle.


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## Saffron

kenworth said:


> Sort of a contradictory statement, I thought Wally touted not having any "sales".



Generally Clearance items


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## kasilofhome

Just to let you know that we do not have a state sales tax but we do have a local sales tax. Food was taxed for years and the local goverment spent it (not all wisely) so a group that I am on the board of started an initiative. We wrote it up submitted it to the clerk to check the legalitize of what we wanted to change. Then we gathered more than enough signatures and got it on the ballet, to allow the voters to vote on it. We now only pay sales tax on food during the months of May thru Sept. The rest of the year is a food tax holiday. Check out how many local areas have done this and similar things ==search "tax holidays". It can be done because "WE" are still maintaining that we are the goverment in that we are a self governing people with a voice. When we give up envolement we forget our responceablity to be involed and are RULED. There has to be order but order does not mean that our freedom is gone just that we work and we work together.


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## Tj1

emdeengee said:


> X - means taxable item
> N - means non-taxable item
> T - means taxable item on sale
> O - means non-taxable sale item



So what does the R stand for??? Thanks in advance ☺


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## Tj1

kasilofhome said:


> There is another letter code out there--
> 
> H- it is a taxable non food item that Could be a medical tax deduction on the IRS paperwork/


What about R


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## Redlands Okie

kasilofhome said:


> Just to let you know that we do not have a state sales tax but we do have a local sales tax. Food was taxed for years and the local goverment spent it (not all wisely) so a group that I am on the board of started an initiative. We wrote it up submitted it to the clerk to check the legalitize of what we wanted to change. Then we gathered more than enough signatures and got it on the ballet, to allow the voters to vote on it. We now only pay sales tax on food during the months of May thru Sept. The rest of the year is a food tax holiday. Check out how many local areas have done this and similar things ==search "tax holidays". It can be done because "WE" are still maintaining that we are the goverment in that we are a self governing people with a voice. When we give up envolement we forget our responceablity to be involed and are RULED. There has to be order but order does not mean that our freedom is gone just that we work and we work together.


Why not just cut the sales tax in half and use that all year. What’s the purpose of the complication of keeping track for half the year ?


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## Robotron

9 year old thread. Good chance the laws shuffled a few times.


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## Tj1

I just want to know what the R stands for on the far right side lol .... anyone??


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## Danaus29

Is it followed by a number? If so it's the register number.


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## colourfastt

whodunit said:


> I don't think Idaho or Washington taxes prescription meds, but I think OTC are still taxed. I had vitamins on the Costco receipt and it apeared to have been taxed.
> 
> Personally, I think it's outrageous to tax food. I can see taxing prepared or precooked items, like Washington does, but not just plain, old food. What's next taxing air?


Louisiana not only taxes food, but it also taxes (and I believe it's the only state to do so) prescription meds.


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