Tax laws are often dry and predictable, but sometimes, they take a wild turn into the bizarre. From taxing your ice cream cone in Iowa to charging bachelors in Pennsylvania for the crime of being single, some old U.S. tax laws were downright strange. These taxes weren’t just unusual; they often created confusion, debate, and even outrage. Here’s a look at 10 of the strangest tax laws that once existed (and some that still exist) in the U.S.
1. Alabama’s Playing Card Tax
In Alabama, even a friendly game of poker once came with an unexpected cost: a 10-cent tax on every deck of playing cards purchased. Yes, if you wanted to play cards, the state wanted its cut.
This strange tax was part of a larger effort to regulate gambling, but it didn’t just target high-stakes players. Whether you were playing Go Fish with the family or Texas Hold ’em with friends, the tax applied to any deck with 54 or fewer cards (even jokers counted).
2. Arkansas’ Tattoo Tax
In Arkansas, getting a tattoo once meant more than just picking a design and braving the needle. You also had to pay a 6% sales tax for the privilege. Enacted in 2005, this odd tax applied not only to tattoos but also to body piercings and even electrolysis. The reasoning? The state said these services were “nonessential” and decided to cash in.
3. Wanna Dance in California? Pay a Dance Tax
In California, if you wanted to let loose and dance, you had to pay up. At one point, the state had a tax on nightclubs and venues that offered dancing, making it more expensive for businesses to let people hit the dance floor.
4. Iowa’s Ice Cream Cone Tax
In Iowa, even your sweet tooth wasn’t safe from taxation. Grabbing an ice cream cone once came with an extra surprise: a special tax on edible cones. If you ordered your scoop in a cup, you were in the clear. However, if you wanted that crunchy, delicious cone, you paid extra.
5. Flushing the Toilet Means Paying More With Maryland’s Flush Tax
In Maryland, using the bathroom comes with a price, thanks to the state’s infamous Flush Tax (also called the Bay Restoration Fee). Enacted in 2004, this law added a monthly fee to water and sewer bills, aimed at funding wastewater treatment and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. While the environmental goal is noble, the idea of being taxed just for flushing the toilet doesn’t sit well with many residents.
6. New Mexico’s Cowardice Tax
In 19th-century New Mexico, back when dueling was a common way to settle disputes, the territory introduced a Cowardice Tax for those who refused to fight. Essentially, if you backed down from a duel, you had to pay up.
7. Ordering a Bagel Sliced and Toasted? Pay New York’s Bagel Tax
In New York, the bagel is a breakfast staple and a way of life. But did you know that how you order your bagel once determined whether you got taxed? Under New York’s law, an unsliced, whole bagel is tax-free, but the moment it’s sliced, toasted, or schmeared with cream cheese, it becomes a prepared food item, subject to an 8.875% sales tax.
8. An Unusual Way to Encourage Marriage: Pennsylvania’s Bachelor Tax
Back in the day, being single in Pennsylvania was a taxable offense. The Bachelor Tax, introduced in the 18th century, charged unmarried men between the ages of 21 and 50 an annual fee for, well, staying single. The idea? To encourage marriage and family-building while raising extra revenue for the state.
9. Paying Taxes for Illegal Drugs: Tennessee’s Illegal Drug Tax
Only in Tennessee can you owe taxes on something you aren’t even legally allowed to have. That’s right—the state has an Illegal Drug Tax (Unauthorized Substances Tax), which requires individuals in possession of unauthorized substances, like marijuana, cocaine, or illegal alcoholic beverages, to buy special tax stamps. Oh, and according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, purchasing stamps “does not in any way provide immunity from criminal prosecution.” But since drugs are illegal, no one is walking into the tax office to pay up. Incredibly, the tax still exists.
10. Want a Flashy, Ornamental Belt Buckle? Pay Texas’ Belt Buckle Tax
In Texas, one of the weirdest taxes ever imposed was the Belt Buckle Tax. If you were in the Lone Star State rocking a flashy belt buckle, you might have paid a little extra. This sales tax applied to belt buckles considered “ornamental,” which meant anything flashy, oversized, or too stylish.
