Effective June 1, 2010 the Arizona sales tax rate for retail purchases is 6.6%. Maricopa County adds on .7% sales tax to support roads and jails. That's a total of 7.3%. Then, each city may add sales tax. If you add the total of the Arizona sales tax and Maricopa County sales tax, 7.3%, to the city sales tax rate, you'll get the total retail sales tax that you'll pay when purchasing merchandise in that city.
Arizona does not charge sales tax on food purchased at retail outlets for home consumption (grocery stores). Cities are allowed to do so, and almost all of them do, with the exception of Mesa and Surprise. The City of Phoenix, which previously did not charge a sales tax on groceries, instituted a 2% tax on those items in April 2010.
When shopping in those cities, be aware of buying grocery items in stores that are not really grocery stores. Their systems might not have the capability to charge a different tax rate for file cabinets as opposed to coffee. Want to fight the battle with them? Often, if someone protests, they will refund the overtaxed portion.
The tax mentioned in this table is the Transaction Privilege Tax, or sales tax, for typical retail items. Taxes charged at restaurants, or for higher priced retail items like cars, may be taxed at a different rate.
There are some cities that are not in Maricopa County that are increasingly being considered part of the Greater Phoenix area. Here is the same information on Phoenix area sales taxes as provided in this article, only in table format, and including a few additional nearby cities.
One more note: The City of Maricopa, part of Apache Junction and part of Queen Creek are in Pinal County, where the county tax rate is higher than in Maricopa County.
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City Sales Tax Rates in Maricopa County, Arizona
Apache Junction sales tax: 2.2%
Avondale sales tax: 2.5%
Buckeye sales tax: 3.0%
Carefree sales tax: 3.0%
Cave Creek sales tax: 3.0%
Chandler sales tax: 1.5%
El Mirage sales tax: 3.0%
Fountain Hills sales tax: 2.6%
Gila Bend sales tax: 3.0%
Gilbert sales tax: 1.5%
Glendale sales tax: 2.2%
Goodyear sales tax: 2.5%
Guadalupe sales tax: 3.0%
Litchfield Park sales tax: 2.8%
Maricopa sales tax: 2.0%
Mesa sales tax: 1.75%
Paradise Valley sales tax: 1.65%
Peoria sales tax: 1.8%
Phoenix sales tax: 2.0%
Queen Creek sales tax: 2.25%
Scottsdale sales tax: 1.65%
Surprise sales tax: 2.2%
Tempe sales tax: 2.0%
Tolleson sales tax: 2.5%
Wickenburg sales tax: 2.2%
Youngtown sales tax: 3.0%
Notice: All rates mentioned herein are subject to change without notice. Contact each individual city to ensure accuracy.
