Sales Tax. You can elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040). You cannot deduct both. To figure your state and local general sales tax deduction, you can use either your actual expenses or the state sales tax tables. Also include any state and local general sales taxes paid for a leased motor vehicle. 2  If the state sales tax rate on these items is higher than the general sales tax rate, only include the amount of tax you would have paid at the general sales tax rate.
Dried Drain TrapsâWater Seal Evaporation. As perhaps the most common cause of sewer odor in a house, it is also one of the simplest to remedy. As with a clogged or blocked air vent, the problem is an emptied or dried drain trap. Unlike a clogged air vent, instead of the water seal being siphoned out of the trap, it simply evaporates.
Warning. If you smell sewer odors in a bathroom sink or a tub or shower drain, you could have a blockage in the vent lines. The blockage creates suction in the drain pipes that may have emptied a P-trap, allowing sewer gases to escape. Look for other signs of clogged vents and clear them, if necessary.