diff --git a/src/Eval.cpp b/src/Eval.cpp
index b62f39bf4..4e933aa10 100644
--- a/src/Eval.cpp
+++ b/src/Eval.cpp
@@ -28,10 +28,12 @@
 #include <map>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <Context.h>
+#include <Task.h>
 #include <Color.h>
 #include <Eval.h>
 
 extern Context context;
+extern Task& contextTask;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 // Supported operators, borrowed from C++, particularly the precedence.
@@ -287,8 +289,8 @@ void Eval::evaluatePostfixStack (
       else if (token->first == "xor")      left = left.operator_xor (right);
       else if (token->first == "~")        left = left.operator_match (right);
       else if (token->first == "!~")       left = left.operator_nomatch (right);
-      else if (token->first == "_hastag_") left = left.operator_hastag (right);
-      else if (token->first == "_notag_")  left = left.operator_notag (right);
+      else if (token->first == "_hastag_") left = left.operator_hastag (right, contextTask);
+      else if (token->first == "_notag_")  left = left.operator_notag (right, contextTask);
       else
         std::cout << "# Unrecognized operator '" << token->first << "'\n";
 
diff --git a/src/Variant.cpp b/src/Variant.cpp
index cefbaf96c..59cbe00e8 100644
--- a/src/Variant.cpp
+++ b/src/Variant.cpp
@@ -917,29 +917,17 @@ bool Variant::operator_nopartial (const Variant& other) const
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-bool Variant::operator_hastag (const Variant& other) const
+bool Variant::operator_hastag (const Variant& other, const Task& task) const
 {
-  Variant left (*this);   // tags
-  Variant right (other);  // tag
-
-  left.cast (type_string);
+  Variant right (other);
   right.cast (type_string);
-
-  std::vector <std::string> individual;
-  split (individual, left._string, ',');
-
-  std::vector <std::string>::iterator i;
-  for (i = individual.begin (); i != individual.end (); ++i)
-    if (*i == right._string)
-      return true;
-
-  return false;
+  return task.hasTag (right._string);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-bool Variant::operator_notag (const Variant& other) const
+bool Variant::operator_notag (const Variant& other, const Task& task) const
 {
-  return ! operator_hastag (other);
+  return ! operator_hastag (other, task);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/src/Variant.h b/src/Variant.h
index 137640f3e..bd6ddb0f6 100644
--- a/src/Variant.h
+++ b/src/Variant.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 
 #include <string>
 #include <time.h>
+#include <Task.h>
 
 class Variant
 {
@@ -67,8 +68,8 @@ public:
   bool operator_nomatch (const Variant&) const;
   bool operator_partial (const Variant&) const;
   bool operator_nopartial (const Variant&) const;
-  bool operator_hastag (const Variant&) const;
-  bool operator_notag (const Variant&) const;
+  bool operator_hastag (const Variant&, const Task&) const;
+  bool operator_notag (const Variant&, const Task&) const;
   bool operator! () const;
 
   Variant& operator^= (const Variant&);