Major Purchase Sales Tax Deduction I bought a camper & the tax I paid is more than the calculated total general rate. Why can't I deduct the tax I paid on this purchase?

[Opus 17]

The laws and regulations say what they say.

If you use the actual tax method, you can deduct all the general sales tax you paid during the year for everything you bought (assuming you kept track.)  General sales tax is the sales tax you pay on most ordinary items like clothing, furniture and so on, and does not include special taxes on things like gasoline and cigarettes or liquor.

If you use the tax table method, the IRS assigns a deduction amount based on your income and the tax rate where you live.  You are allowed to add to this method, sales tax you paid for a motor vehicle, aircraft, or to buy your home or materials to build or renovate your home.

Motor vehicle includes a motorized camper (motorhome) but not a camper trailer.  That's just how it works.  

[Opus 17]

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@Opus 17 wrote:

The laws and regulations say what they say.

If you use the actual tax method, you can deduct all the general sales tax you paid during the year for everything you bought (assuming you kept track.)  General sales tax is the sales tax you pay on most ordinary items like clothing, furniture and so on, and does not include special taxes on things like gasoline and cigarettes or liquor.

Of course, if we assume the standard method assigns you a deduction of $1000, and you can prove $2000 of sales tax on your camper, but you can't prove any other taxes because you didn't keep records, you could still switch from the tax table method to the actual tax method and claim the one item you can prove.   You wouldn't get credit for all the other items you purchased, but if it is more than the standard amount then you are still somewhat ahead.