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.
So the CRV is basically taking 10 cents from your pocket, and then returning it to whomever brings the bottle back for a "refund."
ReplyDeleteAnd 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?
ReplyDeleteI assume you get a 1099 form for the bottles you return.
ReplyDeleteThis is what kills me about the CRV:
ReplyDeleteYou 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???