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LEWISTON, Idaho (The Blaze/AP) — An Idaho family that operates a roadside pumpkin stand is scared out of its gourd after a state tax collector showed up and tried to squash the business.The Lewiston Tribune reports the Idaho State Tax Commission has called for the closure of a family’s pumpkin stand in Lewiston, a mill city along the Snake and Clearwater rivers.
The couple says their 4- and 6-year-old children had been carving out a niche for themselves in the local jack-o-lantern market — to raise money for school sports, they say.
What 4 and 6 year olds play school sports? Calling because if they were indeed raising money for the school, then they could just produce the school's tax exempt number. Ridiculous story.
Gymnastics
The couple's children, Jacob, 6, and Sami-Lou, 4, are utilizing sales of the orange Halloween staple to raise money to take part in wrestling, T-ball and dance programs."It's their deal, totally," Dan Charais said. The kids are set to split the profits from the pumpkins 50-50 with their supplier.Dubbed Farmer Phil's Pumpkins, the stand at 1012 Eighth St. is named after a friend in the Lewiston Orchards who grows the gourds and offered to split the money raised if the kids peddled them from their front porch.The siblings began selling the pumpkins at 25 cents per pound a few weeks ago, and have added corn stalks to their inventory as Oct. 31 draws near."It just blew me away that the state would mess with kids trying to raise money to play their sports," Dan Charais said.A representative for the state tax commission in Coeur d'Alene said when reached by phone Friday it has no intention to shut down such stands but to educate people about state tax policies.But Kami Charais said tax commission compliance officer Patrica Gilmore came to her door Friday morning with paperwork telling the family to purchase a license and pay sales tax or be closed by the state. It wouldn't matter if the family was selling pumpkins, or lemonade, she was told."She told me I was in direct competition with A&B foods who is paying the sales tax," Kami Charais said. The grocery store is one block from the family's home.
First it was the lemonade stand, now it's those oh-so pesky pumpkin stands.
Next will be garage sales and then you will have to pay just to cross the street. W.T.F?!
I believe in states like California you only can have 2 garage sales within a year. If you have more you have to get a license and pay taxes etc.
