Eat in tax. What the?

Hmmm, I have never seen this either. I went to look at where you are and I saw CHS and almost peed my pants. You are too much Boomer!

Sounds like a variation on a sales tax--except there is no sales tax in Oregon, right?

I'm afraid my fellow Centerbergians have all bailed off of A2K. Such a shame.

No, there is no sales tax in Oregon and, as we did eat-in it doesn't look like there is an eat in tax either.

This was at a McDonalds. If you ever go there in your state look at the bottom of your receipt and see if they have a line for eat in tax for me, would you?

We have an "eat in" tax, but you never see it. Groceries are exempt from gross receipts tax in NM, but prepared food (restaurant and deli) are not, which amounts to an eat in tax.

Oh, hey, we also have higher sales tax rates for hotels and rental cars. Makes the tourists want to come back, do'cha know?

Taxes on hotels and rental cars must be perceived as clever ways to raise funds. Doesn't hurt the locals (directly) and tourists have to pay. Always a shock when one sees the hotel bill when checking out...

I think some places have a restaurant tax that wouldn't apply to prepared food eaten elsewhere. Hence, if you eat at the establishment, you pay the restaurant tax. If you use the drivethrough, you don't.

Seems to've been the case in CA at one time, where I remember it being a little cheaper to get something in the to-go bag than on the eat-in tray (so you'd just tell them it was to go, take your bag, sit down in the restaurant, and eat -- as if the employees cared).

Yeah - those sneaky little taxes for hotels, ect! Crazy making.

That's interesting about the prepared food tax in the grocery and the restaurant tax in CA.

I haven't heard a whisper about it here. I might want to start paying attention!

Now hold on a second here!

You mean there is an eat in tax AND a take out tax?

Think of a being like going to a hair dresser. You ask for a rush job, and they charge extra. Naturally. You tell them to take their time and do good work, and they charge extra. Naturally.

"Eat-in" means you ate in the restaurant, as opposed to taking the meal to go. So you and I go to Mickey D's. I order a big mac "for here" and you get yours "to go".

I pay tax; you don't.

And in the olden days, if you went to McDonalds and ordered "to go" and then sat in your car in McD"s parking lot to eat, you were breaking the law. I don't know if it's enforced any more, but they really did come up to my car once and tell me I had to take the food off their property, or come back in and pay the tax!

It sounds similar to a tax in Mass. In Mass. you do not pay tax on items that are necessities like food and clothing, however, you do pay a tax if you have food prepared or go to a restaurant. It is called a service tax. I guess going out to eat and having your food prepared for you is considered a luxury and not a necessity so they tax you on it.

Really, Wy? That's hilarious. We're gonna have to run you in for tax evasion!

This really seems so strange. I'm supposing that all McDonalds run off the same program so in Oregon it just enters "0" for the tax. I'm going to have to go through the drive through just to check the receipt.

There is a little Japanese place around the corner from me that charges about 50 cents extra for carry out but I think that's just to cover the cost of the carry out box.

Today though, Mo and I went to the car service thing at Applebees on our way to picnic with Mr. B for lunch. They brought out food out in these really lovely heavy duty plastic dishes -- these things would cost at least a buck each at the grocery store and probably wouldn't be as nice. No charge!

Sales taxes are really tricky and often misunderstood . The only state that I really understand is the one in California. Not only because I lived there for most of my life, but my brother in law once worked for the State Board of Equalization (the body that governs sales tax) doing sales and use tax audits and then later went on to form his own company working against the Board of Equalization as a taxpayer advocate.

I'll get into all the specific details if you would like, but in answer to your question, I do know that California would have definitely taxed the meal that you got at McDonald's, whetter you ate in or took it to go.

Boomerang - Applebees probably doesn't charge extra for the carryout stuff because in reality they save on the costs of workers. When you have dine-in service, the restaurant has to pay for the waitstaff and busboys' salaries. They spend much more time with you than the people serving you for take out service. In addition other costs like cleaning dishes, etc. when you dine in. The difference between the two is probably de minis.

One, two, three, four...
Hrmm!
One, two, (one, two, three, four!)

Let me tell you how it will be;
There's one for you, nineteen for me.
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman.

Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all.
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman.

(if you drive a car, car;) - I'll tax the street;
(if you try to sit, sit;) - I'll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold, cold;) - I'll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk, walk;) - I'll tax your feet.

Taxman!

'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman.

Don't ask me what I want it for, (ah-ah, mister Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more. (ah-ah, mister heath)
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman.

Now my advice for those who die, (taxman)
Declare the pennies on your eyes. (taxman)
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman.

And you're working for no one but me.

Taxman!

Now I'm going to have to look and see if there is a line for sales tax in addition to the eat in tax line.

Would California charge both, Lady J?

That makes sense, Linkat. Still, most take out does not come so well packaged.

We go to a lot of cookout/potluck kinds of things. I washed these containers up and stuck them in the cabinet for next time we go as I never seem to get my dishes back.

Thanks for the song, Bear. You have such a beautiful voice.

I agree about Bear's voice. And how nice to remember that song (and what I was doing the year it came out) after not having heard it for a long time!

The eat-in tax is the sales tax. So in some states you'd pay it no matter where you ate, in some you'd never have to pay, and in a few oddball places the location of your mouth when you ate would determine the amount of tax due. Weird. But I don't think you'd ever have to pay two sales taxes on the same meal.