Is it Okay to take a ‘Candy Tax’ from Your Kids?

With Halloween coming up, I started salivating at the thought of all the sweets I could ‘borrow’ from my younger relatives- but started to wonder about the morality of the ‘candy tax’.

Not wanting to be a sweety tyrant, I started googling to see if anyone else was thinking the same way I was.

Nedra McDaniel from the Adventure Mom Blog is firmly Team Tax, stating that it’s the best way to teach your kids the valuable life lesson of doing their taxes.

McDaniel describes the Candy Tax as:

“…part of my commission for assisting in their candy abundance and also out of parental concern for their teeth, I issued the candy tax.

I tell my kids that I’m concerned about their potential for cavities, but the reality is that I also enjoy skimming their candy piles in hopes of a few Take 5 Candy Bars and Reese Cups.”

So, is it okay to take some of their sweets as a lesson in fiscal savviness- and as an excuse to save them from cavities? Personally, I think so. They’re little, they can’t eat reams and reams of sweets- and all that sugar is bad for their health!

Kelly Phillips, a writer for Forbes, does not take a tax from her kids. I read her article (a few times) and, in all honesty, could not make much sense of it. I am not a financially savvy person and all the tax talk in her post was lost on me. Her main reasons are as follows:

1. The United States doesn’t have a flat tax. That 33% candy tax? That’s a flat tax.
2. For the most part, income is income. All candy, however, is not the same.
3. Seizing the candy means your kids aren’t getting the benefit of any deductions (or credits).
4. Trick or treating isn’t actual work.
5. Timing is everything. Collecting the candy tax immediately teaches the wrong message.

So, with all of this in consideration, I decided to compile my own list of why I think taking a candy tax from children is okay.

1. The United States doesn’t have a flat tax. That 33% candy tax? That’s a flat tax.
2. For the most part, income is income. All candy, however, is not the same.
3. Seizing the candy means your kids aren’t getting the benefit of any deductions (or credits).
4. Trick or treating isn’t actual work.
5. Timing is everything. Collecting the candy tax immediately teaches the wrong message.

So, whether you’re Team Tax or not, have a happy, safe Halloween however you choose to spend it!

Taylor Jones – A Gift of Happiness