Final answer:
To determine which county has the highest sales tax among Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Hawaii, further research with up-to-date data is necessary as sales tax can vary widely within each state and depends on the combination of state, county, and local taxes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sales tax is a critical source of revenue for state and local governments, including counties within each state. The rates can vary widely, even within a state, and can depend on the specific combination of state, county, and sometimes city taxes. When examining the states like Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Hawaii, we must note that they all have differing taxation structures and rates.
Intergovernmental revenues are funds that are transferred between different levels of governments, for example, from the federal government to state governments. Sales taxes and income taxes are two prominent ways in which state governments raise revenue. While some states, such as Alaska and Florida, do not impose a state income tax, they may rely on other means of taxation such as property taxes or sales taxes to fund public services.
The sales tax rate for any particular county can be determined by adding the state sales tax to the county sales tax, and sometimes, additional local taxes. These taxes are collected by the seller at the time of sale, or remitted as use tax by the buyer. To find the county with the highest sales tax, one would have to look at the composite rate that includes not just the state sales tax but also the county rate, and potentially, municipal rates in some cases.
It's important to note that without specific county sales tax rates listed here, further research is required using the most recent and accurate data from a reliable source such as the state's department of revenue or taxation.