That is insane. Scratch that, it's surreal. There seems no logic for the government to offer this, and no logic for users to pay this tax. That is so strange.

I think it's that the state would rather receive the tax money than enforce federal law. As for the users, it protects them from state prosecution for tax evasion.

> I think it's that the state would rather receive the tax money than enforce federal law

Which is surely going to happen because people will pay taxes even anonymously, because it's such an enjoyable activity.

USAians in particular looove to pay tax!

(signed: a brit. Who knows nothing of history)

Edit: flippant, but now I can start to see the rationale. Thanks all.

i presume it's offered because more tax revenue is more tax revenue. it's also worth paying to avoid irs-instigated legal issues.

> i presume it's offered because more tax revenue is more tax revenue.

Most states with these kinds of tax stamp laws passed them explicitly to create a new crime to charge people with, not to actually collect any tax revenue. In some cases it provides an excuse to seize property when state law would otherwise prohibit it (they aren't using civil/criminal forfeiture, just seizing property to payoff a tax debt). If you showed up to buy the stamps they wouldn't sell them - some states didn't even bother printing any.

Eventually this was tested in courts and squashed; the courts ruled you can't create an impossible-to-follow law just to catch people. If the law says you have to buy weed stamps then the state must actually sell them. The state also can't use it to entrap you (eg: by requiring you bring the weed to the tax office, then arresting you for possession).

There's a small cottage industry of folks who collect these tax stamps because they're so rarely issued. Most people don't bother buying them so the law still serves its purpose of giving prosecutors more crimes to charge you with.

The IRS doesn’t handle state taxes, but state tax agencies can bring on tax evasion charges as well.