Current Events > Essay: Gamers Outraged Over Chicago's New 9 Percent Amusement Tax

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http://thefederalist.com/2018/11/14/gamers-outraged-chicagos-new-9-percent-amusement-tax/

PlayStation just announced that due to a new amusement tax, any person with a billing address in Chicago will have to pay a 9 percent tax on essentially anything purchased through PlayStation, Steam, and other online services. Thats right, you can now be taxed for having fun in the privacy of your own home, and gamers are outraged.

And here I thought the liberal Martin O'Malley's "rain tax" was the funniest tax put forward by dark blue states. Chicago just may have beaten it though with this!
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Strange how a bunch of gamers will suddenly "move" to Oregon soon...

Taxes should never be put on hobbies or vices

I remember reading that the real issue is where do draw the line on "amusement"?

Are mobile games going to have this? Brick and mortar arcades? Billiard halls? Strip clubs?
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Questionmarktarius posted...

Strange how a bunch of gamers will suddenly "move" to Oregon soon...

Or New Hampshire.
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salandrews posted...

Brick and mortar arcades?

Coca Cola couldn't convince the US Mint to make a 7.5-cent coin. Chicago sure as shit isn't convincing the Mint to make a 27.25-cent coin.

Darklit_Minuet posted...

or vices

Nah, vices should be taxed more heavily than anything else.

But if that's their goal here they need to just tax MMOs and lootbox stuff. Legislation hasn't even caught up to that classification honestly.
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P4wn4g3 posted...

Nah, vices should be taxed more heavily than anything else.

I disagree. Taxing vices is preying on the poor and often addicted

Darklit_Minuet posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Nah, vices should be taxed more heavily than anything else.

I disagree. Taxing vices is preying on the poor and often addicted

At least they would be directly contributing to society then.
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If you can afford to smoke or drink or eat deepdish pizza everynight until you're obese, you're not poor and you should be fucking taxed so that everyone else isn't subsidizing your shitty behavior.
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Darklit_Minuet posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Nah, vices should be taxed more heavily than anything else.

I disagree. Taxing vices is preying on the poor and often addicted

Plus all it actually accomplishes is opening up a market for clandestine arbitrage operations.
Go to NYC and buy a pack of smokes at a corner bodega. Chances are pretty good there's a Missouri tax stamp on the bottom.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Darklit_Minuet posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Nah, vices should be taxed more heavily than anything else.

I disagree. Taxing vices is preying on the poor and often addicted

Plus all it actually accomplishes is opening up a market for clandestine arbitrage operations.
Go to NYC and buy a pack of smokes at a corner bodega. Chances are pretty good there's a Missouri tax stamp on the bottom.

NYC should do something about getting good rates then.
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Chicago doing something stupid that doesn't fix any of their real problems? Color me shocked.
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Questionmarktarius posted...

Darklit_Minuet posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Nah, vices should be taxed more heavily than anything else.

I disagree. Taxing vices is preying on the poor and often addicted

Plus all it actually accomplishes is opening up a market for clandestine arbitrage operations.
Go to NYC and buy a pack of smokes at a corner bodega. Chances are pretty good there's a Missouri tax stamp on the bottom.

I would think NH. We get shitload of people from NYC that visit cigarette stores on the border.
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I feel like anything with the words 'Gamers Outraged' is enough to create a spiral of outraged gamers online, nowadays.

Dash_Harber posted...

I feel like anything with the words 'Gamers Outraged' is enough to create a spiral of outraged gamers online, nowadays.

It's kinda bullshit imo. Like, does that apply to open source code as well? Obviously the legislature is going to be vague as hell. Basically it just lets companies charge extra for no added content.
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Ah, something new to add to my, reasons to never live in detroit
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I'll never understand people who live in Chicago when you can just go 10 miles down the road to Hammond, Indiana and have your ghetto living with ghetto prices while still being close enough to "enjoy" Chicago.
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D-Lo_BrownTown posted...

I'll never understand people who live in Chicago when you can just go 10 miles down the road to Hammond, Indiana and have your ghetto living with ghetto prices while still being close enough to "enjoy" Chicago.

What is there to enjoy in Chicago other than the university