10 Goofy Tax Laws Still on the Books
In 2004, Maryland created a tax on flushing a toilet to update treatment plants and protect the Chesapeake Bay, which has experienced a decline in water quality. The tax doubled in 2012.
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You have to pay sales tax on bagels in New York State, unless you purchase it to go, unsliced, unheated or in the same way you’d find it in a supermarket or grocery store.
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If you’re ready to get some ink on your body, skip doing it in Arkansas, where the state imposes a sales tax on tattoos. The tax is also applicable to body piercing and electrolysis hair removal.
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About 20 states including Arizona and N.J. tax the revenue of professional athletes who come and play in their jurisdiction. Dubbed the jock tax, it was started by California in the early 1990s when the Chicago Bulls visited.
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Maine has a tax on all wild blueberries either processed in the state or unprocessed but shipped outside the state, to conserve and promote the wild blueberry industry.
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Alabama imposes a tax on decks of playing cards that contain no more than 54 cards. If a deck of cards doesn’t carry the revenue stamp that shows the tax has been paid, it’s considered contraband goods. Each retailer should also pay an annual license tax of $2.
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Although ordinary belts and cowboy boots are tax free in Texas, be ready to pay extra in the Lone Star State if you purchase a belt buckle, unless you go shopping during sales tax holiday week every August.
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Illinois raised the tax base on candy in 2009 but the sales tax only applies to flour-free candy, since items that contain flour or require refrigeration aren’t considered candy for tax purposes.
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Professional body builders can deduct the cost of body oil. It’s considered a business expense since they use it to prepare for and pump up before competitions, according to a 2004 tax court case. But anything they eat or drink? No luck there.
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The IRS has long imposed an excise tax on arrows, and since 2012 it’s also imposed on manufacturers, producers and importers an excise tax on arrows more than 18 inches long that may or may not be suitable for use with a taxable bow.
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