Sales tax or no sales tax???

[ladila2]

I have been a Panera and Dunkin Donut customer for many years. Many times I purchase bagels that are uncut and placed in a bag. This brings up my question...Sales tax is charged for these items. If I purchase them at Publix or Sweet Bay, no sales tax is applied to the purchase.
I sent an email to one of our Florida politicians however, I never received an answer to my question. I have asked the cashier at the stores and the reply I received, "the computer sets the tax". So, what's the story???

[BogeyBoy]

As a general rule food that is prepared for you is taxed. If it is something you have to prepare - no sales tax.

There are some areas open for interpretation, your bagels are a good example. If they had sliced them for you I would say they prepared them. You say yours are unsliced, I would say no tax should be charged.

The easy cop-out, "the computer sets the tax" is a pretty lame response. Law sets the tax and it is the store owner's responsibility to correctly charge those taxes.

[rayschic]

Here's a link to an article explaining the taxing of food items. They are tax exempt if purchased in a supermaket or grocery store, but taxable if purchased elsewhere.

What Items Are Nontaxable for Sales Tax in Florida? | eHow.com (http://www.ehow.com/list_7333603_items-nontaxable-sales-tax-florida_.html)

[BogeyBoy]

I dug a little further.

Seems Florida Sales and Use Tax on Restaurants and Catering taxes just about everything that is sold in those establishments.

Here is a link to an official Florida publication:

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/2009/gt800035.pdf

[mac9]

Buy them at Sweetbay. They are better than Panero's!

[logdog]

Best bagels in the area are at Brooklyn Water Bagels in the Best Buy plaza. They will charge you tax there but still only about a buck a bagel if you get the bakers dozen. They freeze very well.

[bluedog103]

Best bagels in the area are at Brooklyn Water Bagels in the Best Buy plaza. They will charge you tax there but still only about a buck a bagel if you get the bakers dozen. They freeze very well.

Yep, these bagels are goooood! I think I see a bagel run coming up this weekend.

[logdog]

Best bagels in the area are at Brooklyn Water Bagels in the Best Buy plaza. They will charge you tax there but still only about a buck a bagel if you get the bakers dozen. They freeze very well.

Yep, these bagels are goooood! I think I see a bagel run coming up this weekend.

The dogs nose how to sniff out the best bagels...

[Mack184]

I lived for awhile in Ohio, and when I was there if you went into a McDonalds or BK and you asked for your food to go, there was no tax or less tax, however if you told them it was "for here" and they gave you the tray, you paid the full tax. So if you were "in the know" you just ordered your food "to go" and then sat at the tables. Weird.

A lot of what's taxed and what isn't depends on how badly the the english language is tortured when the tax law is written.

[logdog]

I went to Brooklyn Bagels today to pick up my free half dozen bagels (ad in paper) and found out that they do NOT charge sales tax on bulk take out. You only pay tax if you eat in and they have to cut, toast or do something to the bagel. Otherwise it's a nontaxable food item.