Porn and Pumpkins

When governments are strapped for cash and hesitant to raise income taxes, lawmakers often invent some wacky taxes on random goods, according to a Yahoo! news story this week.

Six states currently enforce a tax on pornography. Texas goes a step further and taxes strip clubs, cheekily calling it the "pole tax." Other states have taxes on the sale of illegal drugs. Enforcible, you ask? Usually only post-arrest. A less scandalous tax comes in October when several states take a percentage of pumpkin purchases. What a trick!

Basically, it seems a lot of politicians use such offbeat taxation to raise revenue without raising the boiling points of the average taxpayer. Have to keep the voters happy, right?