This one just drives me crazy! Starting June 1st Washington State will impose an additional sales tax on some candy:
Starting next month, Washington will begin adding sales tax onto the price of gum and most but not all candy products.
For example, Three Musketeers will be taxed but Milky Way will not.
Starburst, Gummi Bears and M&Ms? Yes. Nestle's Crunch and Twizzlers? No.
How will you and retailers know which is which?
The state Department of Revenue has posted a list on line of nearly 3,000 items that will be subject to tax. Another 263 items that are not.
What's the difference? Basically, flour. If the candy you like is prepared with flour it will not be subject to sales tax.
The Dept. of Revenue explains it this way:
Candy is a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings and formed into bars, drops, or pieces. Candy does not require refrigeration. Candy does not include any preparation containing flour.
Flour is made from grain such as wheat, rice, corn, rye, oats, and barley. Flour does not include flour substitutes, such as starch. Any product that lists flour as an ingredient on the nutritional facts label is not taxable as candy.
Moreover, I worry about whether or not this will cause manufacturers to add flour to their ingredients so the candy will not be taxed. As pointed out on Celiac-Disease.com:
The “candy tax law” could affect how candy manufacturers make their products. More specifically, it might affect what ingredients go into them. The new tax allows for candy with flour in it to be exempt from the new candy tax. Kit Kat candy bars already contain wheat, but Snickers don’t. Because so many people are going wheat or gluten-free and wheat is a major allergen, it’s doubtful that candy companies are going to run out and add wheat flour to products that don’t already contain it. However, the barley industry might take this opportunity to let candy companies know they can make “healthier” candy by adding barley flour to products. And they will avoid having the items taxed in certain states.
Some will say "it is just candy, you are better off without it anyway" and that is probably true, but whether or not I want to eat candy should be my choice and if I choose to eat it, I should not have to pay more just because of my medical condition!
