Trick or Tax!

(Via the Drudge Report)

If you live in Iowa, and you’ve decorated for Halloween, you may have an unexpected bill with the tax man.

The Iowa Department of Revenue, often accused of trying to squeeze blood out of turnips, is now searching for pennies in pumpkins. A new department policy this year has made Halloween jack-o’-lanterns subject to the state sales tax, and many Iowa pumpkin growers are feeling tricked.

The tax man’s position is that pumpkins are used primarily for decoration, not for food (which is apparently untaxed in Iowa). One supposes that the tax man has never had pumpkin pie with his Thanksgiving Day feast.

I suppose that eventually corn will also be taxed, since so many folks use corn as a part of their yard decoration in the fall. Oh crap! Is that a pumpkin? Honey, where’s the checkbook?