# Have you paid your crack tax?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 26, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664 "2006-01-26T04:56:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/1 "2006-01-26T04:56:29Z")

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No, it isn’t for the sidewalk cracks that you avoided as a youngster, thinking you’d inflict terrible orthopedic injuries on Mommy. It isn’t a tax on plumbers and other workmen who offer a sight needing brain bleach every time they bend over. No relation to vulgar slang for one gender’s anatomy, either.

[Tennessee made $2M last year taxing folks who sell drugs](http://www.wbir.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=31556)! So even thought it’s illegal to sell, you’re still a drug pusher, just not a tax-evading drug pusher. 🆒 Hoo-boy.

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**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/2 "2006-01-26T04:57:46Z")

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It boggles my mind that the government spends obscene amounts of money fighting the drug trade, when it could be letting it operate freely and taxing it and _making_ obscene amounts of money.

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/3 "2006-01-26T05:25:15Z")

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I saw “crack tax” and I thought it was going to be another thread about Richard Hatch.

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/4 "2006-01-26T05:58:43Z")

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> [@danceswithcats](#):
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> It isn’t a tax on plumbers and other workmen who offer a sight needing brain bleach every time they bend over.

Damn shame, though.

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/5 "2006-01-26T17:37:51Z")

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smart dealers! Tax evasion can have really bad penalties.

There’s a slot on the federal 1040 somewhere (probably something like Schedule B or Form 8507) for profits and loss from illegal activities. They might get nabbed for dealing, but at least they won’t have to face the IRS.

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**Author:** ![Rachm\_Qoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Rachm\_Qoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachm_Qoch)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/6 "2006-01-26T22:25:31Z")

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> [@gotpasswords](#):
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> smart dealers! Tax evasion can have really bad penalties.

Though most of the tax revenue is actually back taxes levied on the busted.

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**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-paid-your-crack-tax/341664/7 "2006-01-26T23:52:35Z")

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> [@danceswithcats](#):
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> It isn’t a tax on plumbers and other workmen who offer a sight needing brain bleach every time they bend over. No relation to vulgar slang for one gender’s anatomy, either.

My friend Bruce ran a plumbing business. He made certain that his guys all had good belts. Sayeth Bruce: “There will be no crack on my watch!”, and there never was. Every town needs a Bruce.