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Posted on 10/10/2025 5:48:49 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Mexico’s proposed 8% tax on violent video games.
The Mexican federal government has announced a new 8% excise tax on violent video games. The justification? That violent games are responsible for violent behavior.
Violence is indeed a heavy problem in Mexico, and organized crime has left significant parts of the country in a state of terror. But attacking video games seems a poor policy-choice that echoes the moral panics of the 1990s—when games like Mortal Kombat triggered congressional hearings and headlines about the corruption of the youth that led to the creation of the ESRB system. Such panics gain political traction even when evidence is lacking.
To support the claim that video games inspire violence, the government cited only a single academic article—no broad review of the research, no comparison of diverse findings, and no solid data.
This lack of rigor matters. When a government intervenes in markets, the burden of proof must rest squarely on its shoulders. By failing to substantiate its claims, the Mexican state undermines the legitimacy of its proposal.
Freedom requires institutions that protect property rights and ensure that voluntary exchanges are not restricted arbitrarily by the state. When the government wishes to intrude on these exchanges, it must show that doing so is not only justified but necessary. It is insufficient to declare that an activity might generate bad side effects. The government must prove that, in the absence of intervention, third parties would be gravely harmed. The burden of proof falls on the state, not the citizen. In the case of the violent video game tax, the Mexican government falls far short of this standard.
The rationale used by the government illustrates the idea of a Pigouvian tax. An...
(Excerpt) Read more at fee.org ...
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I think it’s the sombreros...they don’t get enough sun.
Insufficient Modelo...
IIRC-—MEXICO HAS BEEN GUILTY OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE “VIDEO GAMES”.
Why would they need a violent video game when they can butcher live victims for our viewing pleasure?
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