Are they still doing this? If you go to Bianchini's in PV, they do not charge sales tax on a "takeout" hot ham & cheese croissant, but last time I was at Robert's they charged sales tax on hot baked goods.

The basic rule is that if your establishment is exempt from sales tax on cold foods (based on the 80-80 rule), then you are granted an exemption on hot beverages such as coffee and on hot baked goods but not items like hot sandwiches.

The details of the rule make for some weird taxation cases. If you buy a cold takeout sandwich from Subway, they will not charge sales tax (by the 80-80 rule), but if you buy a cold takeout sandwich from a McDonalds (if they were to sell one), you would be required to pay sales tax. Pretty weird, huh?

What is the 80-80 rule? It is a rule that says if 80% of what you sell is food and 80% of that food is non-taxable, then certain takeout foods that would normally be taxed are exempt from sale tax.

Well, halelujah, I was just in Robert's and I saw a "No Tax on Hot Beverages" note posted on the registers, so it appears that they somehow finally got the message (a mere year and a half after I first brought it to their attention, and a decade longer than they need to be charging sales tax).

Not that I'll ever see an apology for being treated as some kind of lunatic suggesting that hot take out beverages were exempt in their case anyway.

I wonder if they'll figure out that the exemption also applies to takeout hot bakery items, too. Actually, they probably don't have too many qualifying items here, since microwave or toaster reheating of bakery goods will still make them taxable.

Anyway, I might stop boycotting my coffee purchases from them now that they appear to have figured it out.

Don Quixote, I bet that all that tilting at windmills means more caffeine is necessary! How funny the timing on this - you post this & they change their rule & post the sign. Congrats - & happy tilting!