Sales Tax

Sales tax is an additional fee due to the Florida Department of Revenue on almost all transfers of ownership on property.  This applies to both casual/private sales (purchased on eBay, Craigslist, local newspaper, etc) and dealership sales.  While property can mean any number of things, our office is responsible for collecting sales tax on motor vehicle, boat, and mobile home transfers.

Chapter 212 of the Florida statutes specifies that sales tax is to be collected at the rate of 6%.  Manatee County also collects an additional 0.5% discretionary sales tax on the first $5,000 of a purchase; this discretionary fee will not exceed $25.00.

Click here to utilize our sales tax calculator.

How Do You Compute Florida Sales Tax?

The following scenario applies to Manatee County residents only.  The 6% sales tax applies to any county of residence, but the 0.5% discretionary tax will vary by county.  Refer to the Department of Revenue's rate sheet to determine the additional tax, if any, that is due in your county.

Sales tax is computed as shown in the example below.

Motor vehicle, boat, or mobile home purchased for: $10,000

• 6% sales tax (0.06 x 10,000) = $600.00
• 0.5% discretionary tax (0.005 x 5,000) = $25.00

Total sales tax due: $625.00

Further Questions

As our office collects sales tax on behalf of the Department of Revenue, any questions not answered here should be directed to their agency.  Please visit their website for further information.