Google Merchant Center
Merchant Center Tax Rules: US and Canada vs VAT Countries
Tax handling depends on the country you target. Getting it wrong causes price mismatch problems.
Merchant Center’s tax guidance splits countries into two groups. For the United States and Canada, prices in your product data shouldn’t include taxes. For many other countries, including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, prices should include VAT or GST.
In both cases, the price in your feed has to match what shoppers see on the landing page.
Short answer: For the United States and Canada, don’t include sales tax or VAT in the price attribute or any other attribute, and show applicable taxes at checkout. For countries such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and most of Europe, include VAT or GST in the price attribute, and make sure the landing page shows the same price. Mismatches between feed and page prices lead to disapprovals.
Key Takeaways
- US and Canada: prices exclude tax.
- UK, EU, Australia and many others: prices include VAT/GST.
- Show taxes at checkout for US and Canada.
- Feed price must match the landing page.
- Selling to several countries? Check each country’s rule.
Rules by market
| Market | Price in feed | Landing page |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Exclude taxes | Show taxes at checkout |
| Canada | Exclude taxes | Show taxes at checkout |
| United Kingdom | Include VAT | Same price as feed |
| Germany, Netherlands and other EU | Include VAT | Same price as feed |
| Australia | Include GST | Same price as feed |
Common problems
- Feed price excludes VAT but the UK page shows VAT-inclusive prices: a price mismatch (price mismatch).
- US feed includes estimated tax: remove it from the price.
- One feed used for several countries without adjusting prices (multiple countries).
Platform settings
Shopify and WooCommerce tax settings decide what prices your feed sends. Check them before connecting (Shopify / WooCommerce).
Frequently asked questions
Do I set tax rates in Merchant Center for the US?
Merchant Center’s current guidance is to exclude taxes from US prices and show them at checkout. Check the help page if your account still shows older tax settings.
Should UK prices include VAT?
Yes. Include VAT in the price attribute and match the landing page.
What if my site shows prices without VAT for business customers?
Shoppers must see the same price as your feed; make sure the price shown to general shoppers matches.
Need help with Merchant Center?
We fix disapprovals, policy issues and feed problems so your products can show in Google Shopping and free listings.
Sources
Last reviewed October 14, 2026.
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