On Saturday I stopped by the 99 Cent Store but all I bought were four 1.25 liter bottles of flavored water. I'll be driving all the way down Baja to Cabo San Lucas in a few weeks, and having some water with me wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever had!
Here in California, there is no sales tax on food. I thought "food" included all ingested products, so my bottled water should, to my way of thinking, be untaxed, but take a look at my receipt:
In addition to the cost of the water, I had to pay 10 cents each for the California Redemption Value that is supposed to encourage recycling. Take a close look at the receipt--not only did I pay a tax on the water, I paid a tax on the CRV! Does that seem right to you?
California.
4 comments:
So the CRV is basically taking 10 cents from your pocket, and then returning it to whomever brings the bottle back for a "refund."
And the People's Democratic Republic of California taxes that "income" too?
Wow.
Having a tax/higher tax on food considered non-basic, junk, or luxury is somewhat common. Flavored water likely comes under the tax for soda pop, as opposed to plain water. I am surprised by the tax on the CRV though. Is that like a deposit where you get money back if you return the bottles to the store or some sort of central location?
I assume you get a 1099 form for the bottles you return.
This is what kills me about the CRV:
You pay your 10 cents extra to entice you to return the bottle and get your 10 cents back. BUT...
We also are required to pay for a 2nd garbage can for--you guessed it!--recyclables. If I'm returning the bottles, what do I need the 2nd garbage can for? And why am I paying twice to recycle something once, and paying tax on both of those payments???
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