"Court rules that Perrier is soda, not French mineral water — and therefore taxable"
Blasphème! Or not.
From the New York Post, May 1:
Perrier, which has been marketed as French mineral water for more
than a century, is actually soda — and can therefore be taxed, a
Pennsylvania court ruled.
Perrier’s classification has been under fire since 2019, when thirsty
patron Jennifer Montgomery was taxed 24 cents on a 16-ounce Perrier
bottle at a Sheetz convenience store in Pennsylvania, Fortune earlier reported.
Montgomery then filed two petitions with the Pennsylvania Department
of Revenue Board of Appeals seeking a refund for the sales tax since
mineral water was not supposed to be taxable in the US.
Bottled water has traditionally been exempt from sales tax because
water is necessary for survival. However, when manufacturers start
adding sugar or other flavors and sweeteners, water goes from an
essential to an optional item, and can therefore be slapped with a tax.
A
Pennsylvania court held up a 2019 ruling that Perrier — which has long
been marketed as a “sparkling natural mineral water” — is actually
classified as a soda and is therefore taxable. pixarno – stock.adobe.com
Montgomery had also initiated a class-action complaint against Sheetz
in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County alleging the same
issue, according to court documents filed on April 23.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Revenue Board of Appeals ruled in late
2019 that Perrier is carbonated water, thus placing it in the “soft
drink” category, making it subject to sales tax....
