Ah , spring . The birds are let the cat out of the bag , the trees are blooming , and all is right with the humankind . Or allwouldbe right with the world , if not for revenue enhancement time of year .
Every class , 1000000 of Americans scramble with finding all their receipts , checking deductions , assay to see out what on the button a withholding allowance is — and , in some case , how many of those whaling weapons can be deducted as a kindly contribution . Here are seven curiosities from the account of taxation — some still on the Bible , some very much not .
1. Twix are food but Snickers are candy in Illinois.
In what is for certain one of the few times the merits of Twix versus Snickers have been mentioned in a Supreme Court determination , in his dissent for the 2018 caseSouth Dakota v. Wayfair , Inc. , et al . , Chief Justice John Roberts noted that “ Illinois categorize Twix and Snickers bar — chocolate- and - raw sienna sweet usually displayed side - by - side in the candy gangway — as solid food and candy , respectively ( Twix have flour ; snort do n’t ) , and taxes them otherwise . ”
And he was right . In Illinois , candy by definition “ does not include any preparation that contains flour or postulate infrigidation ” [ PDF ] , which means a Snickers ( flourless ) has a 6.25 percent tax , and , thanks to the flour , a Twix has a taxation of 1 percent . ( Even more astonishingly , theChicago Tribunereports that Twizzlers are n’t consider confect for tax aim due to theirflourcontent . But Beer Nutsare ) . So if you ’re in Illinois , have a hankering for chocolate , and want to carry through some hard currency , opt for a Twix .
2. Antiperspirants are over-the-counter drugs in Texas.
confect was n’t the only subject on Roberts ’s brain in hisSouth Dakota v. Wayfair , Inc. , et al.dissent . As a way of illustrating the challenge that WWW - based businesses confront when pilot quirky state and local taxation laws , he cited another body politic - defined differentiation : “ New Jersey knitters pay sales agreement tax on yarn purchased for artistic creation projects , but not on yarn earmarked for sweaters , ” and “ Texas assess sales of plain deodorant at 6.25 pct but visit no tax on deodourant with antiperspirant ” [ PDF ] . Why ? Antiperspirants are sort as over - the - heel counter drugs .
3. Engraving something of “no special value” meant no special taxes in the 19th century.
The importance of abrade the revenue enhancement laws for details is nothing Modern . According to an 1863 list ofdecisionsof the Commissioner of Internal Revenue , engravers had to have a license and devote a manufacturers revenue enhancement . But only if they were making “ general seal , stamps , or give-up the ghost , which possess a commercial economic value . ” If , however , the engraver only did exploit for a “ specific purpose , so that it would be of no special value to any one but the owner ” they were “ not thereby a maker under the police force . ” So if you were to get a stamp of , say , your cat , which you would only use around your house , the engraver would n’t have to pay revenue enhancement .
4. Certified whaling captains get a hefty deduction.
Although it mightseemvery nineteenth century , current U.S. taxation police set aside a deductive reasoning for chieftain of whaling boat . But not just anyone can go out and track down a whale ( or claim the $ 10,000 deduction ) . The IRS only tolerate whaling captain recognize by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission ( AEWC ) to take the deduction , and the AEWC is granted aquotaby the International Whaling Commission because of the grandness of whaling for cultural and nutritionary reasons ( and because , unlike industrial whaling operations , subsistence hunters are n’t motivated by profit ) . Perhaps most surprising is that it ’s deduct as a charitable part [ PDF ] .
5. Deer hunters in Maryland can get a tax credit if they’re charitable.
It ’s much leisurely to get a license to hunt down deer than whales , but hunters in Maryland can still get some tax course credit . harmonise to thestate , “ somebody who hunt and reap an antlerless cervid in compliance with State hunt laws and regulations ” can donate the meat to a programme to give the hungry . To countervail the price of butchering and processing , the Department of State allows a mention of up to $ 50 of certified expenses ( up to $ 200 ) .
6. Drinking despite England’s “War Tax” on beer was one way to “help your country.”
In 1915 , future British Prime Minister David Lloyd George is said to have remarked “ We are fighting Germans , Austrians and tope , and so far as I can see the greatest of these virulent foes is salute . ” In November of 1914 , as part of that fight , a “ war tax ” was implemented on beer , triplingthe duties on a barrel of beer . One enterprising breweradvertised , “ Order a pint of beer and drive a nail into the Kaiser ’s coffin . If you ca n’t manage a pint order a half - pint and drive a cannister - saddlery . pledge the national beverage and aid your country by paying your share in the war - taxation . ”
According toRobert Duncan , author ofPubs and nationalist : The Drink Crisis in Britain During World War One , the alcohol tax had many positive effects : yearly beer consumption fell from 35.1 million bulk barrels to 21.4 , and spirit intake fell by one-half . Meanwhile , liver cirrhosis destruction decreased by 64 percentage , from 152 per million to 56 per million .
7. The “Chicken Tax” requires a high tariff on light trucks.
Before 1962 , the Common Market ( a forerunner of the EU ) was a rapidly growing mart for American volaille producers . But that class , duty on poultryincreasedalmost 200 percent , which meant a 66 percent decrease in the exportation of American volaille .
Americans jib , not just for the honour of our chicken farmer but because of concerns that this was an orifice salvo on patronage wars with the Common Market . In response , President Johnson implement tariffs on trucks ( to offend Germany ) , brandy ( to hurt France ) , and potato starch ( to wound the Netherlands ) , among other products .
Today , most of the tariffs have been raise , but the so called “ Chicken Tax”—a " 25 percentage tariff on weak trucks , " according toJalopnik — remain on the books .
