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03:38

Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." This holds particularly true in the United States, often dubbed the "land of taxes." In New York City, hailed as the "Bagel Capital" of the United States, many first-time visitors want a taste of this local delicacy. Yet few realize that in New York, once a bagel is "altered" by store staff – such as being sliced, toasted or served with toppings – it is classified as a prepared food and subjected to a sales tax of around 8 percent.

Indeed, many U.S. states have their own tax laws, resulting in peculiar classifications, such as Colorado's "napkin tax," Arkansas' "tattoo tax" and Illinois' "candy tax." CGTN's New York stringer Edgar Costa visited a local bagel shop and quizzed both consumers and shopkeepers about the "sliced bagel tax" and other such levies. Entrepreneur Brandon Thomasson attributes these taxes to lawmakers' whimsical decisions: "Because each state is responsible for its own tax laws, all these weird (things) just disconnect, and discrepancies exist."

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Uncovering America: You get taxed for a sliced bagel in New York – and other peculiar American taxes