TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - With Halloween quickly approaching, candy is flying off the shelves. However, you may notice that you're paying taxes for some candies over others.
Most groceries in Florida can be bought tax-free, but it varies for Halloween candy.
Chocolate chips and strawberries are tax-free, but pre-packaged chocolate-covered strawberries are not. You can buy plain marshmallows tax-free, but it is not the same for marshmallow candy.
Florida TaxWatch Chief Research Officer Rob Weissert says the state's tax laws are complex and make it difficult for consumers to know what they owe taxes on.
Weissert says that “these are taxes that we all impose on ourselves, but in all reality they can be so confusing that we don’t know what we pay taxes on and what we don’t.”
He says that this inconsistency is amusing, but it is something that state legislators need to work on.
