Halloween is just around the corner, folks, but perhaps the scariest thing of all is the down right stupidity of the government. In mid-October, the New Jersey Division of Taxation reminded taxpayers why we should all be scared of giving too much power to the government, and that our elected leaders-- whether they be federal or state -- will tax whatever they can for revenue generating schemes that do not make any sense.
Pumpkins used for decoration are subject to Sales Tax.
— NJ Div of Taxation (@nj_taxation) October 15, 2019
Pumpkins used for food or in food preparation are tax free. pic.twitter.com/bZzyAVsQb1
The Trentonian blasted the NJ Division of Taxation for their "tone deaf" tweet:
OK, three things on this “secondly” bit of business …
1) Why are any pumpkins taxed? It’s a food.
2) A-ha! But decorative pumpkins are not a food, and thus subject to tax. But why would a pumpkin seller bring this point up to a pumpkin purchaser? And if they did bring it up, why would said pumpkin purchaser cop to using the pumpkin for decorative purposes? And what about a pumpkin I use for decorative purposes, but in the carving process I decide to roast the seeds? Hmmm? THEN WHAT?
And lastly, and most importantly,
3) Why in the name of Charlie Brown would the New Jersey Division of Taxation see fit to tweet out this factoid to all of their - ahem - 785 followers, which amounts to (this is the real number) .000088% of the state’s population, or about one out of every 11,000 residents, meaning there’s roughly 34 people in Mercer County following this account (great Twitter game, @nj_taxation, and why the hell wouldn’t you capitalize the “nj” there? {banging head against keyboard} but anyway …)
Indeed, if I'm living in New Jersey, why wouldn't I just buy a cheaper pumpkin for "eating" and then use said cucurbit for decoration? This is pure government deficiency, folks.