Videogames In A Global Recession: Sin Taxes
Friday 3 April 2009 @ 12:47 am | By Sol 10 Comments
“Sin” taxes are state-sponsored taxes added to products or services seen as vices, such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. State governments favor sin taxes because they generate an enormous amount of revenue and are usually easily accepted by the general public because they are indirect taxes only affecting those who use the products.
As the global recession worsens US lawmakers are looking to levy videogames as a creative solution to help fill the budgetary gap. Videogames are not typically seen as the traditional vice, however the gaming industry as a whole has been very resilient during this modern great depression and cash strapped local governments have trained their sights.
There have been multiple attempts to increase taxes on “violent games” like Gears of War or Dante’s Inferno, as well as videogame and television equipment. Thankfully, most legislation seems to be dead on arrival. However this doesn’t mean we should sit idly by while lawmakers, who the majority of whom have never played the next generation of games, propose unfair taxes.
It’s time to join the movement. I’m not going to take it anymore, and neither should you.
[Reason]
, Gaming-Industry , Rage , Recession , Useless Legislation , Videogames , WTF
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Abraham 'Velcor' Duarte
David 'KidKobun' Bruno
Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano
Random J
Now it’s a sin (tax) to buy World of Warcraft or Wii Fit?! Oh wait, only those violent Mature rated games. You’d think that the government would be going after the constant NPD chart toppers.
Well some of the legislation taxes peripherals. Luckily, it’s a state by state thing. Any way you slice it, it’s still ridiculous.
We’re already taxed on everything up in Canada. So we already know the pain of paying extra! (on top of the CDN/US dollar being so crappy, most games have been jacked up to $69.99)
And in times where people already have little cash to spend on entertainment, upping the price even more, I think leads people to find “alternative” ways to get what they want…
Here in Mexico the exchange rate plus import taxes make your normal $50 game into at least $85.
Luckily I live in a border town so I buy them in the US or over the internet whenever I can.
I get so angry with this type of taxation. I understand the shortfall. I know the economy is in the crapper, but in the end is there nothing the gov’t plans to tax. In birth, all the way to death. The gov’t still finds it’s way into your equity. I recognize the uses of taxing, but DAMN! Rage level rising. This is particularly what I can’t stand Joe Lieberman. He is big on the regulation of games. *Sigh*
Annnd the laaand of the freeeee~…
I “obtain” my games through other “methods” anyway. Hey don’t judge, im a starving college student who wasn’t going to buy the games anyway.
If imbecility would be taxed, most public servants would have to give about 30% of their income. Why don’t they just remove such a 30% of their income to public services? At least here in Mexico that would make so much #$T%& sense.
Most government workers earn a pittance, those who earn a high salary, including those in popular election positions could take a 30% pay cut but really, that would make no difference in our budget. It would be a nice symbolic move but numbers-wise it would be pointless.
Hey, I work as a civil servant. Most of us get paid with peanuts. In fact, I earn almost 50% less than all of my friends my age. The only reason I love my job is because it’s secure, unless residents stop paying their taxes.
My mother also works for a different sector of government, and they indeed either cutting their already pitiful salary, or locking the entire county out of their civil service jobs for 7 days and not paying them.