Wisconsin Mulls an Earmarked Video Game Tax [Slashdot]

[DP ServBot]

Mearlus writes "A Wisconsin lawmaker is proposing a law to add an additional tax on video games and equipment in order to help cover the costs of moving 17-year-old criminals back into the juvenile system." (According to the article, 17-year-olds are at present treated as adults by Wisconsin courts.)Read more of this story (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/24/1353223&from=rss) at Slashdot.
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http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~4/205647380

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[Mianrtcv]

Wow. Just, wow!

[shoes23]

Remember how much it would suck to pay extra tax on videoganes, especially when you go to vote for a tabacco tax bill. Having something you enjoy being taxed beyond belief for programs that you don't believe in sucks. Screw socialism.

[Hwj_Chim]

This is bullshit! The last thing that is needed is more taxes.

[Darth Vader]

Great. Another reason why I hate those quacks that are politicians in my state.

[dylan0228]

What`s the point? Other than taking more money from taxpayers, it won`t change a thing. Just another way for the government to access blame on video games. I`m not suprised, but I definitely disagree. I`ve played games my whole life & it wasn`t even considered as the turnkey for criminal behavior back then. I hope someone will stand up for us.

[BydoEmpire]

Screw socialism.While I don't agree with this tax, this is not socialism. If the government took over EA or Activision and started making the games, that would be socialism. People have every right to levy taxes (through their representation) to fund programs to improve the nation's health, stability and prosperity. Of course, some things like this game tax seem like a worthless waste of money. If you live in Wisconsin, you should write a polite letter to this politician, or make a phone call to their office explaining your opposition. That's how you actually get things done, as a gamer and a citizen.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Well, if a lot our current taxes are going to Iraq and Afghanistan... and the current administration continues to advocate more tax cuts... where are we going to get money for social programs? That said... I'm not in favor of more taxes, but when the country is so in debt and we have to finance wars- we can't neglect the problems at home because we don't have the money for them.

[shoes23]

While I don't agree with this tax, this is not socialism. If the government took over EA or Activision and started making the games, that would be socialism. People have every right to levy taxes (through their representation) to fund programs to improve the nation's health, stability and prosperity. Of course, some things like this game tax seem like a worthless waste of money. If you live in Wisconsin, you should write a polite letter to this politician, or make a phone call to their office explaining your opposition. That's how you actually get things done, as a gamer and a citizen.

I do believe what you are referring to is communism. I'd type a detailed explanation of the two, but I'm typing this on my Wii and my thumb is starting to cramp up.

[heybtbm]

Ah, Democrats and their new taxes. It never ends.

FYI: This will never happen. We have all kinds of goofballs proposing crazy tax after crazy tax ever few weeks. Thank the gods most of the state senate has common sense (D's and R's alike).

[Garry Silljo]

Well, if a lot our current taxes are going to Iraq and Afghanistan... and the current administration continues to advocate more tax cuts... where are we going to get money for social programs?

Taxes, weren't cut. Tax RATES were cut. There is a difference. Also you may see that often taxing at a lower rate will actually bring more revenue. The tax rate is lower, but you make it back plus with higher volume.

[Kid Ice]

If I was a taxpayer in that state I'd go berzerk.

[7th lutz]

Wisconsin is one of the top 4 states for being the most taxed. This shouldn't be a shock to people who live in Wisconsin. Our state govenment raised the fee to get a drivers license earlier this year along with raising some other stuff.

Wisconsin has had problems meeting their state budget under the Current Gov.

Video games is the least of the problems in the state. Some of the problems with crime have to be pin pointed to the city governement or who they have for a police chief.

I live in a city of the state that has problems with teens with crimes for a long time doing back to when I was growing up in the 1980's and 1990's. The problems of crime can be traced to a place chief retiring in the late 1980's. That police chief served my city well for a long time. I am talking about 15 to 20 years at least. The police chief started before I was born. At the time he retired, our city got a new mayor. The mayor served the city for 15 years before resigning. He used police chiefs as puppet or selected police chiefs that did criminal things as a police chief. The police chiefs had no power under the mayor. The mayor made sure the police chiefs were being nice to gang members in the early 90's. We had programs that were failures in taking guns off the streets like asking citizens to give their guns to the police. The city still the same troubled areas as they did in 1990. That means those neighborhoods have drug houses, gang problems and the whole nine yards with there being a shortage of police officers.

The problems pin point that video games are not the issue. It is caused by the culture the kids live in with the police doing nothing about it and parents being on drugs or not being a parent to their kids.

[Mangar]

Typical Democrats.....

In New Jersey, the Democratic Governor and Legislature, are trying to pass a $10 Tax on every TV sold in the state, with some language perhaps extending it to all consumer electronic devices. Not to mention a proposed 400% increase on all tolls which will be unveiled in January.

It's one of the primary reasons why i rarely vote for Democrats. Even the few that I tend to think are decent.(Generally Pro-Labour types) I often rightfully fear some kind of eventual tax increase that will hurt my wallet. All just to pump into some government program that helps a select few, yet the working man pays for.

[Cornelius]

Can't say I see why you'd specifically target video games to fund this (I recognize why they are, but don't agree), but the rest sounds fine to me. Are 17 y.o.s adults, or not? Pretty much every benchmark we have would say 'not'. So, either change those benchmarks, or find a way to pay for treating them as juvies. At least this representative appears to be trying to keep a balanced budget, and while I don't specifically know about WI, generally that doesn't always seem to be the case.

[spoon]

....I hope someone will stand up for us.

That person should be you.

I must agree, what crap.