Washington mulls tax on candy and gum

If a new tax proposal introduced in Washington State ahead of the Jan. 11 legislative session becomes law, it would mean everyone will spend a little extra on candy, according to a news story in the Tacoma The News Tribune.

Candy is currently exempt from Washington's 6.5% sales tax, although the idea of taxing candy has been introduced in the past without success. But the state's $2.6 billion budget deficit could turn the tide this time. The state Department of Revenues estimates that the new tax would generate $28 million in the first year, the Tribune reported.

"I don't think that candy and gum are foods," said Rep. Jim Moeller (Vancouver – D), who introduced the proposal. "I think (the tax) gives us an opportunity to kind of change some of the cultural thinking about it, and at the same time raise some money."

Others, however, disagree.

"We're going to be putting a tax on 5- and 6-year-olds? I mean, come on," said a member of the Legislature's Republican minority, Rep. Ed Orcutt. "I think it's a downright shame that we've gotten to the point where we actually have to tax kids to balance our budget."

Twenty-nine other states in the U.S. currently tax candy and gum, according to the Tribune.