Why does Taco Bell in Parker charge 21.8% sales Tax? (Parker Strip: purchase, exemption)

[Coop01]

A friend went to Taco Bell in Parker at the drive-through window. Paid cash. Bought $8.34 for food. Charged $10.14
Sales Tax was listed as $1.80 on the receipt .Parker sales tax is 10.6% (including Tribal 3%)
He called the Arizona tax folks and she told him that they can charge anything they want for tax!!

I guess that's OK as long as Taco Bell pays the 10.6% to the state.

Do Taco Bell pocket the extra charge? Do the employees receive it as a tip?
IMO - If it's a Fee, then it should be listed as such. I think that this is a deceptive practice.
Does this happen at other establishments?
Every one should know this.
BTW - Burger King in Parker charges the correct 10.6%
Comments?

[tumamoc]

I saw this posted on another forum from September 2016: "CRIT (Colorado River Indian Tribes) just put in a new 'prepared food' tax. Anything made to order has about 8% added to an already high tax load. It applies anywhere on the Reservation, including California side. It applies to any food prepared for immediate consumption. Restaurants, Fast food, Cold drinks. Coffee. Big Gulps. etc. There was no notice. No public action by the tribes, nothing. They just told the businesses to start collecting it, or shut down".

CRIT tax code states they can charge no less than 2% and no more than 10%.
http://www.crit-nsn.gov/crit_content...de_mar2005.pdf

"Section 20-3104. Rate of Tax.
The tax rate imposed under this Article shall be established by the Tribal Council of the Colorado River Indian
Tribes and shall be no less than two percent (2%) nor more than ten percent (10%) of the purchase price of the
prepared food items for immediate consumption. Until the tax rate is changed by Resolution of the Tribal Council,
the current tax rate imposed under this Article shall be levied, imposed and collected at the rate of three percent
(3%) of the purchase price of the prepared food items for immediate consumption".

If I recall, that shopping center where Taco Bell is located is on reservation land. If you've ever had to deal with CRIT, it's like getting teeth pulled.

[Katera]

Yea, I'm gonna have to go with....they can do what they want on their own land...

[fluffythewondercat]

I guess we won't be stopping in Parker for food anymore.


Not that there was anything there that looked good.

[Coop01]

Originally Posted by tumamoc

I saw this posted on another forum from September 2016: "CRIT (Colorado River Indian Tribes) just put in a new 'prepared food' tax. Anything made to order has about 8% added to an already high tax load. It applies anywhere on the Reservation, including California side. It applies to any food prepared for immediate consumption. Restaurants, Fast food, Cold drinks. Coffee. Big Gulps. etc. There was no notice. No public action by the tribes, nothing. They just told the businesses to start collecting it, or shut down".

CRIT tax code states they can charge no less than 2% and no more than 10%.
http://www.crit-nsn.gov/crit_content...de_mar2005.pdf

"Section 20-3104. Rate of Tax.
The tax rate imposed under this Article shall be established by the Tribal Council of the Colorado River Indian
Tribes and shall be no less than two percent (2%) nor more than ten percent (10%) of the purchase price of the
prepared food items for immediate consumption. Until the tax rate is changed by Resolution of the Tribal Council,
the current tax rate imposed under this Article shall be levied, imposed and collected at the rate of three percent
(3%) of the purchase price of the prepared food items for immediate consumption".

If I recall, that shopping center where Taco Bell is located is on reservation land. If you've ever had to deal with CRIT, it's like getting teeth pulled.

ALL of Parker AZ in within the boundaries of CRIT according to their map.

Some of the restaurants and fast food places show it as a tax on their receipts and some don't but you paid it in the price of the food. ...maybe.

I decided to dig further into this. The CRIT website you cited "might" be out of date. (They show that WALMART is coming to Parker.)
CRIT imposed tax for food prepared and consumed on the premises is 10% according to the CRIT TR-1 Tax form (rev. 9/16). Their website still shows 3% but that may not be the whole story.
Schedule "A" of the CRIT TR-0l allows for Tax and exclusion codes. S02 allows for an exemption for food NOT consumed on the premises and R01 for food prepared for immediate consumption by non-restaurant retailers. (Quick-stop?? gas stations? or the fast food outlet at Walmart?)
Download and look at the Exclusion codes if interested.

MY FINAL ANSWER.

I'll just bring my lunch if I visit the river again.

You might need an accountant to decipher and interpret the exclusion codes. No different than the Federal,state, county and city tax codes. I guess.

[tumamoc]

Because I don't have anything better to do right now, and I like maps, here's the CRIT boundary. Most commercial areas of Parker are outside of the reservation. The Walmart and the Safeway shopping center with Taco Bell are just inside the rez boundary, northwest of the airfield. So no need to bring your lunch. Maybe just head on over to the Crossroads restaurant, or hit the Parker Strip.

[bobsell]

More money for cronies.

[Coop01]

Originally Posted by tumamoc

Because I don't have anything better to do right now, and I like maps, here's the CRIT boundary.............

Thanks. The CRIT map shows it a bit different but the CRIT website is really dated and most likely doesn't show the local growth. I.e. - they are still waiting for the new Walmart to be built in Parker. LOL. I like your map better.

[tumamoc]

Actually, I guess the reservation is much bigger, as shown on this map from 1911, but you get the idea that there are quite a few non-reservation inholdings and ROWs.