Every mantra begins with the word à¥ (Aum/Om). (Ex. Aum Namho Bhagwate Vasudevaya Namah etc.) à¥ itself is considered a mantra in Ayurveda. My Questions: What is the meaning of à¥? Why is it given the first place in all (or most) mantras (at least to my knowledge)? What other significance does it have, if any, in Hinduism? Why this specific word?
Alabama is one of the few states that does not exempt groceries and food from the state sales tax. Cities and counties may enact their own sales tax on top of Alabama's - for example, Montgomery has a city sales tax of 3.5% and Birmingham has a local sales tax of 4%.
The table below summarizes sales tax rates for Alabama and neighboring states in 2017 as well as the state's policy with respect to types of items commonly exempted from sales tax (i.e., food, prescription drugs and nonprescription drugs).