Can you really deduct state sales tax on your federal income tax return?

If you itemize, you can deduct either your state income taxes OR your state sales taxes. You compare the two numbers and pick the highest one.

If you choose to deduct sales taxes you can either save all of your receipts for the year or just take the safe-harbor number based on your location and income. If you take the safe harbor number, you can add the sales taxe on large purchases (car, boat, etc.)

All that being said, my guess is that your state income taxes will exceed your state sales taxes.

Income taxes (state) have always been deductible. For the last few years, you have been given the choice between claiming state/local income taxes or sales taxes - but not both. This usually works out when you have purchased a big ticket item such as a new car. However, in order to get the deduction, you have to itemize.

You can deduct either state and local income taxes OR state and local sales taxes, not both. Obviously you'd deduct the larger of the two. For most CA taxpayers, that will be the state income tax.

There's a table in the Schedule A instructions that you can use for the sales tax deduction. You may use a larger amount if you have receipts to prove you actually paid more. If you use the table amount you may add the taxes for big-ticket items such as a car, boat, TV, plane, etc.

If you itemize, you can deduct state and local income taxes OR sales tax, not both. You'd take whichever is more. For the sales tax, you don't have to keep all your receipts, there's a flat rate table based on state, income and family size which gives you a number you can deduct without any receipts.

Correct -- either/or.

Income tax deduction or sales tax deduction. The deduction is -- more or less -- a political "give-me" to those in very low/no income tax state and to select others with no real benefit to the state income tax deduction.

As a glorious resident of one of the highest income tax states in the land, the odds that the choice will benefit you are pretty close to zero.

You can deduct both. The choice is between using the real sales tax or an estimate of the sales tax you paid.

when you itemize, yes sales tax is one of the items in that section that can be claimed

you can follow the standard 'table' or if you keep all your receipts and that totals more than the standard, you can definitely claim the amount you can prove

One or the other. If you plan to possibly deduct sales tax, then you better keep EVERY receipt.