Shoppers abroad beware.
If you plan on bringing back suitcases full of stuffed koalas from the Olympics, don't breathe too easy after clearing U.S. Customs. Your state tax collector probably wants to talk. Everyone knows about sales taxes, that pesky amount you pay in 45 states when you purchase most items. What folks don't usually know, however, is that every state that collects a sales tax also imposes a use tax. A use tax is basically a sales tax on merchandise purchased beyond a state's sales tax boundaries.