Sometimes, story leads do not pan out. Case in point.
Earlier this week, a man came into my office claiming the a truck stop in town had been charging sales tax on candy bars. He had proof, receipts dating back a few years showing an extra seven cents or so added to his Snickers bar.
Under California law, candy bars are exempt from the 7.25 percent sales tax on goods. Most food items are exempt from the law because they are consider necessities of life. Candy certainly fits that description.
I decided to investigate this man’s claims. The investigation was simple. I went to the truck stop and picked up a Resee’s Peanut Butter Cup and a Kit Kat bar. A little nervous, I approached the register. I thought they could be onto to my undercover investigation.
When I got the receipt, no sales tax. Bummer. Failure. No story. This doesn’t mean that the man was lying. It just means that right then, on that day, I didn’t have a story on illegal sales tax on candy.
But wait, what if other candy vending merchants in town were violators of the sales tax law. I stopped at several other gas stations and markets, looking to be charged extra for my candy bar. I bought two Butterfingers, no tax. I bought another Kit Kat, no tax. The same went for the Milky Way, Snickers and Cookies ‘n Creme Hershey bar I bought.
Every store passed, and I was left with a load of candy bars. But no worries, that is what the late night staff at the Desert Dispatch is for. The sports department and designer enjoyed the sugar buzz of their evening candy snack.
So we didn’t get a story. But we did get candy bars.
Aaron Aupperlee | city editor
