<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; "><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">You can be an elected official and not pay taxes, but your butt is really in a sling with the state of Idaho if you're a kid selling pumpkins!</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">LEWISTON - <font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">The Idaho State Tax Commission tried to squash a Lewiston family's pumpkin sale Friday.</span></font></div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The family's kids were selling pumpkins to raise money for sports. But Friday, their mom said they were told to close up shop.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">"A gal came to the door with some paperwork and a business card in her hand and handed it to me," said Kami Charais. "She was from the Idaho State Tax commission. She said we were illegally selling pumpkins because we didn't have a license and we weren't paying taxes."</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Kami said the compliance officer told her their stand was in direct competition with other businesses that do pay taxes, like A and B Foods just a block away. She was also told it's the same no matter what's sold.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">"According to this lady, kids in town can't even do this with lemonade without having a license," said Charais. "They need to pay 6% or whatever it is, state tax on their profits."</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">When Kami refused to fill out paperwork to get a business license, the compliance officer said she would come back to make sure they had closed up, but she didn't come back.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Neighbors can't believe what they're hearing, saying it's a waste of state employee time.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">"My kids this summer did a lemonade stand," said neighbor Sabrina Session. "And it's as simple as earning extra money. I think it's ridiculous to have a little child that is trying to raise money to put towards sports so they can actually do extra curricular activities."</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">"I think it's ridiculous," said neighbor Jeff Mcatte. "A couple little kids trying to get involved in sports and pay for it by selling pumpkins for a couple of weeks, not making a bunch of money. And the tax commission is complaining about a couple of dollars that they might see in sales tax."</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Kami said they've talked to the farmer they get the pumpkins from. He does have a business license and is allowing the kids to sell the pumpkins and keep half the profits.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Kami said she and her husband have decided they will continue to sell pumpkins from their home at 1012 8th Street. Jacob will be at his first wrestling match Saturday, but Sammy will be there to take care of the pumpkin sales.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">KLEW News contacted Tax Commission Sales Office Manager Diana Nottage Friday. She said they always operate from an educational standpoint. She said the officer that spoke to the family did so simply to explain the law.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Nottage said everything sold in Idaho is taxable unless it is specifically exempt and that a temporary permit is required to make the market equitable.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Nottage said there is a $100 per day fine for operating without a license, but she says in this case, it will not be enforced.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Will Wade, owner of A and B Foods, said he doesn't feel like the kid's stand is competing against him and that he's disappointed the tax commission singled him out as an excuse.</div></span></body></html>