Thousands of excited families gathered Monday for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, complete with celebrities and an expected visit by first pooch Bo, but the increasing tax bite took some sweetness out of the candy-gorging Easter holiday.
When all taxes, fees and tariffs are totaled for goods and services associated with Easter, the final bite from Uncle Sam is a whopping 33 percent.
“When kids ask why there are fewer eggs in their Easter basket this year, you can tell them it’s thanks to their Uncle Sam,” said John Kartch of Americans for Tax Reform.
It’s a bitter pill, but ATR regularly tallies the tax hit Americans face on Easter and this year’s bill was higher due to new Obama administration fees slapped on goods. Plus, the pain in the pump all Americans feel with they buy gas or a plane ticket has soared due to increasing prices, as many of those families on the South Lawn know.
According to ATR, Americans spent an average of $145 on Easter, making it the fourth-largest shopping holiday of the year. Some $48 of that went to taxes, or 33 percent. Overall, Americans spend nearly $17 billion at Easter, and nearly $6 billion of that is for taxes, said ATR.
“Easter spending is subject to income taxes, payroll taxes, corporate income taxes, and other taxes on business activity. Government then includes additional fees, excise taxes, and international tariffs that further increase the cost of spending which is almost 11 percent higher than last year,” said Kartch
First, dinner prices jumped. Of the $5.1 billion spent on hams and sweet potatoes, a third went to taxes. Second, clothes and Easter bonnets got a bit more expensive due to new tariffs. Travel prices have jumped too, due to taxes on fuel and hotel taxes. And the nation’s spending on chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps handed Washington $722 million in revenue.
