5. Candy tax

No. 5 on our list of ridiculous taxes is the candy tax levied in Chicago. Coming from the Windy City, this tax has as much to do with semantics as it does chemistry. And there’s one more thing here: Who can blame them for taxing something tempting?

For instance, candies prepared with flour (like ice cream and chocolates) fall into the “food” category and are thus taxed normally. However, candies prepared without flour (such as suckers and hard candies) are labeled as “candies” and are thus taxed at an additional 5.35% merchandise rate.

There’s a similar rule for soft drinks, too. The difference in levels of milk, fruit beverage, or soy in a beverage can make a difference of 5.25% at the pay desk.