US News

CENTS-IBLE BUYERS STEAMED ABOUT OVERCHARGES

Steven Picca loves shopping and hates being ripped off.

The retired printer’s blood boiled when he noticed a Grand Union supermarket had charged him sales tax on the full price of a case of paper towels that were on sale.

Stores are supposed to charge tax on the full price of a sale item only if a manufacturer’s coupon is used for the discount. If it’s a store special, the tax is supposed to be on the sale price.

“I’m supposed to pay 50 cents tax, and I’m paying $1.10,” fumed Picca, who lives in The Bronx. Picca’s outrage was echoed in many letters sent to the state by citizens furious about sales-tax overcharges.

One person wrote that he didn’t understand why he was being taxed for cold knishes.

The state tax commissioner wrote back that his agency had decided that cold knishes are not taxable and hot knishes are.

Other letters writers provided evidence to back charges that:

*Kings Pharmacy in Ozone Park was illegally taxing cookies.

*A 7-Eleven was taxing luncheon meats.

*Dunkin Donuts locations in Rosyln and Melville, L.I., were taxing coffee, which is tax-exempt.

Anyone with a sales-tax complaint can apply to the state for a refund using a form available from the Tax Department at 1-800-CALL-TAX.