Idaho Has a Sin Tax On These 7 Bad Habit Items

We bet that if we asked you to be honest, every single one of you that stumbled upon this article can admit to at least one bad habit. 

Maybe you’re a chronic procrastinator. You’re notorious for putting off tasks until that absolute last minute. Perhaps you’re someone who’s prone to overcommitting. You want to be seen as helpful, but when push comes to shove, you drop the ball because you’ve just taken on too much. Or maybe your bad habit is something that seems as inconsequential as biting your nails. 

READ MORE: How Much Money Single People Need to Make to Survive in Idaho

While reflecting on those bad habits may inspire you to embark on a path to self improvement, in the long run they’re not directly costing you money. Now if your bad habit is something like smoking or excessive drinking, you’ll be shelling out extra money to take home the “vice” items associated with those bad habits home with you. We’re not just talking about the cost of the products themselves. 

Idaho places an excise tax on certain bad habit items. The IRS explains that an excise tax is a type of tax that is imposed on certain goods, services or activities. That’s extra tax on top of Idaho's sales tax. Because these items, in the grand scheme of things, are not necessary and can be considered vices, this extra tax is sometimes called a “sin tax.” The items generating “sin tax” in Idaho can generate a pretty significant sum of money. 

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If you look at things from a 30,000 foot view, Idaho’s “sin taxes” are quite a bit lower than other locations throughout the country that also tax these items. 

In 2023, the amount of money that Idahoans paid in “sin tax” dropped from the previous year. Still, we paid almost $53 million in taxes for these items. Here’s a look at what they are and how it broke down.