McDonalds SCAM???

[acarmoner]

On the receipt for your orders there is a Tax called by two names.

First Eat in tax and the Second is a take out tax.

McDonalds told me this was required by the City and County. After checking with local city and county tax people they said there is no such tax.

Calling the Feds to ask that same question they said there is no federal tax for these items neither.

I now ask, how long has McDonalds been charging this Sir tax and how do they report it ? If reported as other taxes paid, who do they pay it to? This reads really like a full time scam being conducted by one of the largest food chains in the united states.

Personally, I don't go there as often as I did before because I don't trust an organization that has to defraud me to make them extra money.

How many of you have noticed this and how does it make you feel about McDonalds?

[RegulationE]

If you called the tax people and asked them if there was an "eat in" tax or a "take out" tax it would not surprise me that the person you spoke to did not know what it was.

In Ohio, at least when I lived there, they charged you tax if you ate in the store and did not tax when you carried it out. was a restaurant tax of some kind. Here in my current city, if you buy from the stores down town the tax rate is less then if you buy from the ones out by the interstate.

Instead of having hundred if not thoushands of different tax items, the McDonald's system has two. One for if you eat in and one for if you eat out. The county, city, state, or Federal tax collection authorities don't care what it is called as long as you collect it.

Most likely what you need to ask the tax collectors is if thier is a tax on food in your county. If they say no then you may have a point, but if they say yes then McDonalds is not charging you for something they are not supposed to be charging you for.

[acarmoner]

I did ask the questions you pointed out and there is no food tax in Maryland.

There is no food tax in Indiana and they do the same charge there also.

I also know hte difference between a city tax and a county tax. Pleaase don't go there with that kind of implication I am sure you don't want that kind of conversation or treatment any more than I do.

Respectfully

[Auream]

Clearly you didn't read what RegulationE posted. in SOME states, there are different tax rates for eat-in vs. takeout food. Therefore, McDonald's uses a single system nationwide that distinguishes between a take-out vs. an eat-in order. This may occur even in states that don't require this dinstinction. The important part is the sales tax rate in the state you are in. If the city and county combined rate is say 6%, then you should be charged a total of 6% on your order. If the tax actually adds up to MORE than 6% (or whatever the applicable rate is), then there's a problem. I'd be very surprised if this was the case.

If this is really true, I implore you to scan in or take a picture of a receipt depicting this "double taxation." Needless to say I'd be very, very, very surprised.

[RegulationE]

Originally Posted by acarmoner

I did ask the questions you pointed out and there is no food tax in Maryland.

There is no food tax in Indiana and they do the same charge there also.

I also know hte difference between a city tax and a county tax. Pleaase don't go there with that kind of implication I am sure you don't want that kind of conversation or treatment any more than I do.

Respectfully

Scan in a receipt for an order that is eat in, and scan in a receipt that is for take out.

I live in Indiana, and while there is not tax on food, there are takes on eating in a restuarant. There are also taxes we pay for restuarants that goes to pay for all kinds of things, one of which will be the new Colts Stadium.

Simply because the line item on the receipt is not what you think it should be does not mean McDonalds is scamming you by collecting additional money in the name of taxes.

You are making a claim that is dangerous here if untrue and can get you into trouble. We are simply asking you to prove your case and offerring reasons why your assumptions might be inaccurate.

[acarmoner]

I will be scanning in the receipts today and the tax total is over 6% and I have received an inquiry from the IRS about this item. Since I live close to washington, The IRS investigator has called me and will come over for a discussion next Tuesday.

It seems this is a question as to why this is reflected as a TAX when all other restraunts don't have it and their receipts do not reflect more than a 6% on their receipts. Additionally, the eat in tax charged is exactely the same as the take out tax.

When the store was asked what it was, the first explanation was that it was a way to identify the register where it was purchased. When I asked why I was charged a tax for them to track their register receipts, the individual said it was store policy.

When I contacted McDonalds corporate customer service, they said there is no such tax item and they sent me some coupons for free breakfasts.

The McDonalds story doesn't track the same between states either, when asked in Virginia, They said it was a city tax. However, the restraunt where this was purchased was outside the city limits in the county.

In Ohio, they said it was an Ohio Turnpike tax, When the Turnpike authority was asked about this, they said there is no special tax for eat in or carry out because the service plazas belong to Ohio and the vendors have a license to work there.

So the complexity of the question is quite simple, what is this tax and why is the explaination so different in each state, and of course, is this really a surcharge they put onto the reduced priced products to cover the real cost to them yet appear to be a low cost to you???

[RegulationE]

acarmoner you are getting really concerned about the NAME of the item on the line as opposed to the function of the item.

"A rose by anyother name is still a rose"

Find out what the total tax rate is for the location in question and then look at your receipt and see if what you paid adds up to that total in taxes.

Eat in Tax...can be used to track the number of eat in guests.
Take out Tax ... can be used to track the number of take out guests.

Both taxes calcuate out the same, yet carry different line item names. You are asking the wrong question if you ask if their is a special Turn Pike Tax for Eat in versus Take out. What you should ask is if their is a tax applied to goods or services to help pay for the turnpike. In fact if you do a little research, http://www.ohioturnpike.org/history.html , you will see that the ******* comes in part from special taxes and concessions sold at the services plazas so it does not cost the state anything extra or add to the federal tax burden. It is a way for the turn pike users to foot the bill.

Stop worrying so much about what the name of the line item is and ask the right questions.

Here is the proper question to ask:
How much do we pay in taxes when we buy food at a restuarant in your area?

Then calcuate the amount of the tax based on what you bought and see if the numbers match up or not. Pretty simple really.

What did McDonalds do to make you so angry at them anyway? Short you on your fries or something?

[acarmoner]

You don't get the point either!

Why is McDonalds the only food chain that can't get the same story on this issue and why would I have to pay for the answer to the number of guests that eat in their store.

You obviously are one that pays everything no matter what it is because you trust them because they are there.

Your logic is Similar to Descart when he said I am therefore I must be.
Presence is truth therefore it must be true when it is present.

I am going to stop asking this group anything it appears they would not have had the Boston Tea party either or even the revolution when taxation without representation occured, That kind of logic caused the rise of Hitler and people like Sadam.

[RegulationE]

Originally Posted by acarmoner

You don't get the point either!

I understand completely what McDonalds is doing you simply can not understand the concept that if you buy food at a restuarant you have to pay a sales tax on it. What they call it is not relevant.

Originally Posted by acarmoner

Why is McDonalds the only food chain that can't get the same story on this issue and why would I have to pay for the answer to the number of guests that eat in their store.

Ask the cashier at ten different fast food chains what the tax is for and why they call it what they do. You will get a different answer from each of them. Call the Store owner or General Manager and you will most likely get the same answer from al of them.

You are NOT paying them something EXTRA so they can get a count. You are paying the sales tax that is required by law. They simply name it something different if it is take out versus eat in. Why is this concept so hard for you to grasp?

Here where I live the general sales tax is 6% on merchandise. Restaurants are required to charge 7% because of some added tax used to pay off a bond issue locally.

I went to Burger King for breakfast with my son. I was charged 7% tax and they called it "drive thru tax" but it was still 7%. For lunch with one of my crews we went to McDonald's two went in and sat down, and two of us got it to go so we could get to the next job. Since there was a special going on we all ordered the same thing. Total sales price was $4.41 but two of us where charged "take out tax" and two where charged "eat in tax" (surprised me they actually called it that as you had stated). In all four cases we where charged $0.31 as a tax. That is 7% taxation just as the law requires.

They now have a count 2 - eat in and 2- take out and it cost us NOTHING extra for them to get that count.

Originally Posted by acarmoner

You obviously are one that pays everything no matter what it is because you trust them because they are there.

You are so far from right on this comment it doesn't even garner a response.

Originally Posted by acarmoner

Your logic is Similar to Descart when he said I am therefore I must be.
Presence is truth therefore it must be true when it is present.

Actually it is closer to E= MC^2 since the equation to figure out the amount you should pay at McDonalds is Price + Tax (by any name) = Total Due.

Originally Posted by acarmoner

I am going to stop asking this group anything it appears they would not have had the Boston Tea party either or even the revolution when taxation without representation occured, That kind of logic caused the rise of Hitler and people like Sadam.

Actually it was the kind of ignorance you display in this thread that allowed the rise of Hitler and people like Saddam. If either of these sub-humans had much comprehension of how things really are, both of them may have held onto their *****.

[RegulationE]

acarmoner,

For the record, I have not sent you any e-mail so marking them as spam makes no difference to me one way or the other.

You stated to me in the PM:

I had a lawyer tcheck this out with the IRS and Mc D's is now under investigation for the very same thing you believe to be fair.

It seems the amount of possibly 247 million dollars is at issue with this and many stores have been told by private internal McD's e-Mail not to charge this in their are.

Now I will correct you on a number of things.

First, I do not claim that the taxes are "Fair" I claimed that on my receipts the taxes charged are equal to the taxes required by the government(s) of the areas where I made the purchase.

Second, I have also done some research and have not found anything that even begins to indicate that McDonald's is being investigated by the IRS for collecting fraudulant taxes. There my be such an investigation ongoing, but the likely reason for the investigation is that McDonald's failed to pass the collected taxes on to the IRS.

You started this thread asking why their where different tax lines on the receipt for take out and for eat in.

You claim to have asked the local county and city about the line items and where told their was not tax called an Eat in Tax or a Take Out tax and I simly suggested you ask the question regarding the amount of taxes required to be collected by McDonald's rather then if their is a specific named tax charged. This concept you fail to grasp.

You asked how this made people feel about eating there and implied, without any real proof, that McDonald's was doing something wrong.

What is your real problem with McDonald's anyway?

My take on it is that if McDonald's is not operating on the level then they will be made to pay, but making a claim that they are ripping you off without providing proof that they are is a bit of a stretch.

Provide the proof by scanning a receipt that should what they charged including the store location. Also provide either the link to or a scanned copy of the documents that state what the proper tax rates are in the area and then you have some proof of wrong doing.

You attack me because I do not agree with your undocumented opinion based on the research of the two local McDonald's I have done here. Yes I bought food, checked the tax amount, compared it to what I know they are supposed to collect and low and behold they are the same!

[el_negro_Feo]

mCdONALDS iS fATTENING fOOD !!!! nOt Good. Ewww !!!

[jentlex]

any news on this?

[kennyboy]

I noticed this one time at my local McDonald's and I was pretty upset. However, I have worked in fast food in the past, and I remembered that when you get receipts from fast-food restauraunts it is marked as to whether the order is a drive-thru, eat-in, or take-out. I think it has more to do with making sure the person in charge of bagging the food knows where it belongs. Anyway, I happened to have receipts to compare from the same store for an eat-in and carry-out which happened on two seperate days. The word tax was in the same place on the receipt, with a % sign next to it(which was the same) and the actual amount that corresponded to on each order. The words "eat-in" and "carry-out" were in the same place on the receipts. So, I don't think the tax has anything to do with where you eat the food, the confusion is merely the result of a poorly designed receipt.

[BAILEYSCREAMS_REVENGE]

Originally Posted by acarmoner

On the receipt for your orders there is a Tax called by two names.

First Eat in tax and the Second is a take out tax.

McDonalds told me this was required by the City and County. After checking with local city and county tax people they said there is no such tax.

Calling the Feds to ask that same question they said there is no federal tax for these items neither.

I now ask, how long has McDonalds been charging this Sir tax and how do they report it ? If reported as other taxes paid, who do they pay it to? This reads really like a full time scam being conducted by one of the largest food chains in the united states.

Personally, I don't go there as often as I did before because I don't trust an organization that has to defraud me to make them extra money.

How many of you have noticed this and how does it make you feel about McDonalds?

It might just be a service charge for using their services eg seats, toilets etc. Personally I don't eat McDonald's, but when I did I remember that they did charge separate amounts for eat in and take-away. Anyway, if you feel strongly about it then write to McDonald's and ask them what the charge is for, and how they calculate the % amount.

[muchconcerned]

Originally Posted by BAILEYSCREAMS_REVENGE

It might just be a service charge for using their services eg seats, toilets etc. Personally I don't eat McDonald's, but when I did I remember that they did charge separate amounts for eat in and take-away. Anyway, if you feel strongly about it then write to McDonald's and ask them what the charge is for, and how they calculate the % amount.

Guys, seriously, who cares, if you don't like it, then don't eat there, I certainly don't!

[bdivito58]

LOL the correct answer to this "scam" is as such

The local newspaper here in Kenosha WI investigated this after some readers made a stink about it. It is in fact no a tax for eating in or taking out. It is just the way they print out their receipt. The EAT IN or TAKE OUT, although next to the word tax has nothing to do with the word tax. The eat in or take out is just letting those who prepare the orders know to put it in a take out bag or eat in tray. The tax refers to whatever tax is for the product (sales tax, food tax, or whatever tax it is. The receipt could be as follows:

EAT IN

Tax: $0.67

and it would be the same thing. McDonalds system, for whatever reason just cmombines those two lines in a confusing way. And it is not a scam.

[cneilson]

I noticed something similar on a McDonalds receipt recently, except instead of Tax, it was VAT, which has to be paid where I am (South Korea). I imagine the tax on receipts in other countries is similar.

In fact I was undercharged by about 10% on the tax, which was rather nice to spot.

Colin Neilson

[menotyou]

Must you people ***** about every little ****ing thing?

[haggis_for_the_soul]

And bdivito58 has it. McDonalds has chosen an unfortunate place for putting the diner's preference to Eat In on their receipts. There is no "Eat In Tax," people. There should, however, be an "Eeejit Tax."

In a Bill signed into law this week it prohibits using a false identity to otherwise annoy, slander, libel or harass anyone on the Internet. Some who are posters on Blogs decry this because they say that that it is a violation of free speech, unfair and it should not be a Federal Crime.

Indeed interesting comments. Yet chances are we have all be slandered and libeled on the Internet by vindictive, nut cases. If we own companies, we have had competitors do this. Most often someone will make up something and make a fake name and try to destroy your brand name, personal integrity out of jealousy, competitiveness or simply spite.

If such slanderous attacks and libel were to be stopped all at once, we could have better quality communication and maybe people would not be so fast to attack someone if they knew it could be traced back to them? The Internet is the greatest communication device in the history of the human endeavor, we need to protect its integrity, so people should use their true identity, especially if they wish to slam another or libel them. Think how upset you were last time someone attacked you?

What if they didn't wouldn't that have the best for all concerned? So if it makes people think twice, it could turn out to be a very good law. I know why the law was created, because politicians would get attacked via slander comments from opposition, no wonder they all voted for it? They are tired of being attacked. So, that abuse now is coming back on those who falsify their identity only to slander, annoy or libel. So, anyway, some flipside comments for the debate here. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow, a retired entrepreneur, adventurer, modern day philosopher and perpetual tourist.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

[train_junkie]

Somebody should file a class action - no?

Originally Posted by acarmoner

I did ask the questions you pointed out and there is no food tax in Maryland.

There is no food tax in Indiana and they do the same charge there also.

I also know hte difference between a city tax and a county tax. Pleaase don't go there with that kind of implication I am sure you don't want that kind of conversation or treatment any more than I do.

Respectfully

i dont see eat in and take out taxes being charged on my MD receipts from Mcdonalds...

Mcdonalds is going down, good jobs guys, you are the modern day templer knights,

[tomkeiferfan]

I've noticed that in NY as well.

[tincan]

Originally Posted by Auream

Clearly you didn't read what RegulationE posted. in SOME states, there are different tax rates for eat-in vs. takeout food. Therefore, McDonald's uses a single system nationwide that distinguishes between a take-out vs. an eat-in order. This may occur even in states that don't require this dinstinction. The important part is the sales tax rate in the state you are in. If the city and county combined rate is say 6%, then you should be charged a total of 6% on your order. If the tax actually adds up to MORE than 6% (or whatever the applicable rate is), then there's a problem. I'd be very surprised if this was the case.

If this is really true, I implore you to scan in or take a picture of a receipt depicting this "double taxation." Needless to say I'd be very, very, very surprised.

I live in IL, and have noticed a 10% carryout tax ($.12 for a $1.25 cup of coffee) on my receipts for McD's. I thought this was another ploy by my local municipality to suck more tax money out of us after they passed "home rule". My apologies to my local government. This looks like a Mickey D scam to me. Aren't they the ones who say that we "deserve a break today"? Just who's getting the break?

[PhoebieHalliwell]

As a McDonalds employee it is my obligation to defend McDonalds but in this case i wont. McDolalds is not scamming you we have to charge a certain amount of tax and the tax goes into buying toys food cups and all the little sauces that all of you americans love thats where all of the tax goes. now if you go ask someone at the tax office of course they don't know about it and they will tell you there is no such thing as food tax but it is there. like for example bottles 5 cents here 10 cents other places so if you drink lots of ***** soda etc then you should know that.


Thanks for taking the time to read this

[yarbsea]

You MORONS, you got suckered into this argument with a idiot.

The IRS has NOTHING to do with STATE TAXES. The whole premise of this discussion is that someone called their local IRS agent and he is going to "investigate" the problem. This is WRONG, DUMB and POINTLESS