Do You Use Coupons at Walmart Stores in Texas?

If you used coupons on a purchase at a Texas Walmart, you should have been charged sales tax on the discounted price after the coupons were applied.

Walmart recently agreed to a $45 million class action settlement in Pennsylvania after a man filed a class action lawsuit alleging the store overcharged him sales tax. He said when he presented a coupon for buy one, get one free for shaving gel, Walmart calculated the sales tax on the full price of two cans instead of on the actual, discounted price he paid.

Texas Walmart stores might be facing similar allegations. Texas law states that sales tax must be calculated based on the price paid after discounts have been applied. These discounts include manufacturer’s coupons, employee discounts, store coupons and store discounts.

For example, if the normal price for an item is $50, but the store is offering a $10 off sale, your final price would be $40. So sales tax should be calculated based on the $40 price.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri and Texas all have laws that dictate the sales tax must be calculated on the reduced sales total after all discounts have been applied.

Watch for Sales Tax at Texas Walmart

After the Pennsylvania Walmart class action lawsuit ended in a $45 million settlement, the investigation expanded to include Walmarts in other states where the retailer is required to take discounts into account before the sales tax is figured.

If you shop at a Texas Walmart, check your receipts. If you use coupons, you can check to see if you were charged sales tax on the final discounted price of all items rather than the full price. Even though the amount of mistaken sales tax might equal only a dollar or two, that adds up over the course of numerous shopping excursions.

Be wary of how “buy one, get one free” promotions are taxed, as well. If a Texas Walmart advertises T-shirts as buy one, get one free with each T-shirt set at the price of $10, you owe $10 total for two T-shirts. Tax is due on $10. The store is not allowed to ring up the items as $5 each for tax purposes.

However, if the Texas Walmart advertises the T-shirts as 50 percent off, then each T-shirt may be rung up as $5 each.

Texas law does dictate that when a retail shop gives away any item, that retailer still owes sales or use tax on the price that retailer originally paid for the item. That cost cannot be passed on to the consumer if the item is labeled “free.”

If you purchase an item from a Texas Walmart that is delivered by the company, the delivery charge is taxable, too. If you buy a television for $600 and a separate delivery fee of $50 applies, you will pay sales tax on $650.

Join a Free Walmart Coupon Sales Tax Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you used a coupon at a Walmart store in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, or Texas, and the retailer charged sales tax based on the purchase price before the coupon was applied, you may qualify to file a Walmart coupon class action lawsuit.

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