I'll be happy to answer the tax question Mel. Sales tax is charged on all items other than groceries (so at a supermarket, apples and bread and meat and the like is tax exempt, but restaurant food and just about everything else you can think of is taxable) and is determined by each state. Some states do not charge a sales tax (like Oregon) but then residents pay an income tax yearly instead. The rest of the states have a sales tax somewhere between 6 - 10%! (MISSING) So all taxable items are taxed the same within each state. When you arrive at your hotel or hostel, it would be good practice to ask somewhere there what sales tax is in that state, then you'll know how much to add when calculating your bill!
If you're shopping at craft fairs or outdoor markets or a few select small stores, vendors occasionally include the sales tax in their prices. So for example, if sales tax was 10%!a(MISSING)nd an item might have a price of $10, the
real price would be something like $9.09 with the 91 cents worth of tax already included. In cases like this there will ALWAYS be a sign saying that sales tax is included, just like in a restaurant it will say something on the menu or receipt if gratuity is included.
Gratuity works much the same was as tax. In other countries when restaurants determine how much to charge for their food, the cost of employee labor is included IN the cost of the dish. You're still paying for that employee to bring you food, it just might not seem like it. In the US, for whatever reason (I imagine it's so food prices
seem lower...) the cost of employee labor is NOT included in the price of the meal and is instead paid directly to the server in the form of a "tip." Service charge might be a more appropriate name for it as the cost listed on the menu strictly pays for the food cost, restaurant overhead and labor involved in making the food, NOT the labor involved in plating your food, bringing it to you, wiping the table down, etc. So while it is indeed "customary" to provide 15-20%!f(MISSING)or good service, walking away without leaving a tip (even for bad service) is like walking away without paying part of your bill.
I would suggest that if you feel the service was so terrible as to warrant not leaving ANY sort of tip, you should definitely ask to speak with the manager. Everyone is right in saying bad service shouldn't get rewarded, but not tipping just reiterates that stereotype that foreigners don't tip. Letting the manager know how horrible you found the service not only addresses the problem, but ofttimes your meal will be comp'ed if service was really just that awful as to ruin your experience there.
There have been a few times I've not tipped in the US, one notable incident involved a tray-full of water being spilled down my back (and even then I would have still left something had I been brought a towel or apology)....but aside from that I tip anywhere from 10%!((MISSING)bad service) to 25%!((MISSING)when the server really makes the meal something special).
Hope that clarified a little about the US financial system. As Mike and Sarah mentioned above, since the same tipping policy applies to EVERYONE (locals and visitors), 98%!o(MISSING)f all restaurant patrons are citizens who don't see the error to that system, so a protest from the 2%!o(MISSING)f travelers doesn't' do much to change the system, it really just cheats the employee for that days work.
Reply to this 
