Taxes are a major part of our lives. We have to plan ahead for them and compensate our finances to meet their deductions. Most people understand that taxes are needed in order to keep the country going, so these payments are an accepted part of living in our country.
While our tax laws are largely understandable, there are strange laws all around the world that can make you do a double take. Here are some notable ones:
–         Tennessee: Taxes for Illegal Drugs. Yup. That’s right. Tennessee taxes illegal drugs which are bought in the state. Citizens are technically required by law to report in their illegal drug purchases in order to receive special stamps affirming that they indeed did pay their taxes. Surprisingly, only 79 people have voluntarily come forward in the last 20 years.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Netherlands: Witchcraft. Witchcraft is not generally recognized in the mainstream, but in the Netherlands government can actually tax practitioners of the ancient arts. Whether or not this is bitterness over being Muggles remains to be seen.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Italy: Pornography, In a move that infuriated a lot of people, Italy passed a tax on hardcore pornography in 2011.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Europe: Prostitution. While some countries outright ban prostitution, some in Europe actually have it legalized and taxed. Obviously, putting a tax on a human being is somewhat tricky, but we have no comment aside from that.
–         Germany: Bribery. Ending our list is Germany’s tax on bribery. Yes, it does seem a bit surreal that anyone that you bribe illegally will stop and then tax you for it, but there you go.
After looking at this list, our standards for yearly taxes don’t seem quite so strange, do they?