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Death… and taxes

The difference, of course, is that you only die ONCE, and then it STOPS! :-)

Cheshire Cat Photo received a letter from the State Board of Equalization today reminding us that, effective April 1, 2009 (no fooling), the state sales and use tax rate will increase by 1%.

The 1% tax rate increase will expire on either July 1, 2011 or July 1, 2012, depending upon whether voters approve the proposed Budget Stabilization constitutional amendment in a statewide election to be held on May 19, 2009.

Alameda County, where we are located, has the highest sales tax rate of any county in the entire state of California. With the new 1% addition, the tax rate will be 9.75%. Although Alameda County has the highest sales tax rate of any county in California, there are several places (once you add in the city tax) that have a higher overall tax rate, up to 10.25%.

The State Board of Equalization thoughtfully provides charts of counties and cities in the letter, and it offers additional publications with more information online.

I mostly offer this information for comparison purposes for you in other locations of the United States and the world. I knew that the increase was coming. For Alameda County, the new tax offers a shortcut for calculating tips in restaurants (if you can still afford to eat in a restaurant) – add 1/2 the tax (to the tax itself) for a roughly 15% tip and double the tax for a roughly 20% tip. :-)

So… make those BIG purchases before April 1 in California.

Afterward, expect to pay more!

Live long and prosper?” :-)

-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™

You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®. Both Shutterfly™ and CafePress® ship to most international locations worldwide! If you don’t see what you want or would like to receive an email when new photos are up on the site, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.

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