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Louisiana’s Fractional Penny Tax Coins | Lake Charles News
In the 1930s, Louisiana’s one-percent sales tax created a bizarre problem: tiny purchases required coins smaller than any in circulation. To fix it, the state minted special tax coins worth a tenth or half a penny—only for taxes, but soon misused as tips or spent recklessly. Hated by many, including one woman who joked about a “Boston Tea Party” protest, the coins caused more confusion than clarity. After five years of chaos and unintended consequences, they were retired on January 1, 1941. Most people kept them as souvenirs—and today, these odd coins are a quirky relic of a time when even a…
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