Final answer:
The tax in question is the use tax, which functions like a sales tax but is applied when the consumer uses items in a state where sales tax was not collected at the time of purchase.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tax that is charged if you buy equipment or taxable supplies online and no state tax was charged, or from a state that does not charge sales tax, but you use the product in your state is known as the use tax. This tax is similar to a sales tax in that it is imposed on the value of goods sold. The difference lies in when and how it is collected; while a sales tax is collected by the seller at the time of sale, a use tax is typically paid by the consumer when sales tax was not collected at the time of purchase.
However, an excise tax is different as it is levied on the production for sale, or sale, of certain goods, like gasoline and alcohol. Unlike excise tax, use tax is not specific to any particular type of product. Also, use tax is not to be confused with property tax, which is imposed on assets, or corporate income tax and income tax, which are based on earnings.