Posted on 02/06/2019 8:04:46 PM PST by Sir Napsalot
Lawmakers from Pennsylvania have put forth a bill that proposes a 10% excise tax on violent video games. House Bill 109 seeks to impose the so-called "sin tax" on games sold at retail that are rated by the ESRB as M for Mature or Adults-Only. The money would go into a fund called the "Digital Protection for School Safety Account" that aims to enhance security measures at schools in the wake of the school shootings in Parkland, Florida and Newtown, Connecticut.
State representative Chris Quinn, a republican, initially put forth the bill in 2018, but it never made it out of committee during the 2018 legislative session. The new version is similarly worded.
The 10 percent tax would be in addition to applicable state and local taxes. The sales tax rate in Pennsylvania is 6%, which means a standard $60 game costs around $64. With the extra 10 percent tax on violent games, the cost of an M-rated game like Red Dead Redemption 2 would make the game end up costing about $70.
Explaining the bill last year, Quinn said violent video games might be an element in the rise of school shootings in America. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at gamespot.com ...
Do they also tax M(Mature)-rated movies or tv shows? What about M- fictions? Hip-pop or Rap music?
I consider any tax to be Violent.
I remember going into a porn movie arcade store back in 1970, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. First thing I noticed was each movie machine had an Oklahoma tax stamp.
A few months later, the owner was shot dead by a burglar in his own home.
> so-called “sin tax” on games sold at retail that are rated by the ESRB as M for Mature or Adults-Only <
Great idea! Let some private, third-party group decide what should and should not be taxed.
Tax abortion.
And in some states, cigarette taxes allegedly go into funds for anti smoking programs.
It sounds appealing, but is the tax really going to be spent only in certain ways??????
By mistake, I'm sure. I'm guessing you were looking for "Casablanca", and you turned left when you should have turned right.
“Quinn said violent video games might be an element in the rise of school shootings in America. ...”
I’ve been a gamer since high school and pretty much played every “violent’ game on Playstation and Xbox. From Call of Duty to Halo to Bio Shock to now’s Fall Out and even Red Dead Redemption..
This idiot should just switch political parties.
If they REALLY believed that the violent computer games caused real life violence, they would try to ban them.
All they really want to do is steal more money from the peasantry.
“...violent video games might be an element...”
Might be an element?
We don’t know for sure, but let’s tax something anyway.
Exactly!
Where does it end?
What does a tax do besides give a politician more money?
Taxing us to use our free expression?
What constitutes “violence”? I play Thief, where you blackjack people in a medieval steampunk world. Is that it? Fireballs? When good people give up their spells...only bad people WILL HAVE SPELLS!
Tbey will buy them elsewhere.
Just like carbon taxes and soda taxes the libtards have found another scam.
The ESRB already rates the games. The ratings and laws on age limits for purchase are already in place.
A tax is not going to change what is purchased or played; just a scheme to rake in more money for the politicians to misuse.
Never played this one but when it comes to violence the kids in the US have nothing on their Japanese peers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapeLay
LOL! Yeah, that’s the ticket alright. In 1970 I was a 19-20 yo single Marine. Went into a few of those stores and looking for Casablanca was not the reason for going there.
This socialist Republican is what is wrong with the Pennsylvania GOP.
This urge to tax “unhealthy” things will only get worse under single payer and ensure our rights are taxed into oblivion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.