Let's tax games, proposes Texas senator.

[Heretic Machine]

Taken from Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/28/lets-tax-games-proposes-texas-senator/): A Texas senator has decided to mandate a special tax on video games.

Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa of Texas recently proposed a plan that would generate an estimated $65 million, which could be used to build or upgrade public schools. That plan is to apply a special tax to video game sales. The logic behind the proposal is that if school-aged kids are spending a lot of money on video games — or parents are spending a lot of money on games for their school-aged kids — these consumers can spend a little bit more in order to improve their school systems.
Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/) goes on to say:

What's outrageous is that the proposal has not been extended to other forms of popular consumer entertainment. Music? Movies? Why doesn't Hinojosa want to tax these formats?
Please see the original article at 1up (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3150017).

[Draft]

http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/star.wars.anniversary/where.are.they/chewbacca.lg.jpg

[Deathbane27]

I almost find myself wishing that homosexual marriage or abortion were the hot-button election issues again.


And, as we all know, adults with no children NEVER play videogames. So there's no way this is going to piss off anyone or anything. :)

I'd hate to be that fucktard's secretary tomorrow morning.

[Grimmjow]

Uncle Sam has his fingers in everything dont he

[mkelehan]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/ColonelO%27Hara.jpg
Schools need more funding, but just taxing one form of entertainment to do it is idiotic.

[itchiticky]

So why do the people without kids have to support someone elses kids?

I'm so tired of paying for someone elses mistake of having ankle bitters.

[Ludoc]

So when do we get the Dora the Explorer day care supporting tax?

[Serapth]

So why do the people without kids have to support someone elses kids?

I'm so tired of paying for someone elses mistake of having ankle bitters.

Christ, try living in Canada... where 3$ from every pack of smokes goes to a lobby trying to convince people not to smoke. Or our entirely over expensive heathcare system where we spend thousands every year to keep hypocondriacs and old people entertained while at the same time unable to get a family doctor.

Other then that, yeah, this is a stupid fucking tax.

[AversionFX]

Texans are stupid.

It's pretty obvious that no thought went into this.

[Cha-Ka]

Oh I don't know how stupid it is. Sounds like the same ol' song and dance to me. If the Texas senator's goal is to make the appearance of doing something for family values and for education without ever having to actually put any work into it, I can't think of a better way to achieve that goal than to propose a tax that will never actually happen. Dutifully skeptical residents of Texas will do well to remember this Senator's cheap tactics come election time...

[Ph00p]

Christ, try living in Canada... where 3$ from every pack of smokes goes to a lobby trying to convince people not to smoke. Or our entirely over expensive heathcare system where we spend thousands every year to keep hypocondriacs and old people entertained while at the same time unable to get a family doctor.

Other then that, yeah, this is a stupid fucking tax.

Sounds like your chimney pipe ass should move to america if you want to PAY for healthcare. Your going to be one of the problems(assuming you smoke) that burdens our healthcare system, hypocrit?

ON TOPIC:

LOL Texans are great, if they taxed stupidity they'd be the richest state of all(moreso than now).

[Darkon]

Hey here's an idea how about tax the parent's of these kids so that it supports their school. Take half of the tax break given to these people that feel so inclined to keep popping them out and that should help things.

On another note along the same lines I have always disliked how people that are contributing to the over population problems are rewarded with upto $1000 dollars a kid, imagine what that could do for school funding. I know there will be some that disagree, mainly the ones that dont know how to stay zipped up, but I am tired of 1/4 of my paycheck going to bullshit that doesnt help me at all, then having a %5 sales tax on everything I buy then still having to pay deductions for health insurance, etc... and know they want to tax my main source of *entertainment I hope it fails horribly and this guy is made a fool of.

/rant

* purchased entertainment

[Citizen Philip]

Christ, try living in Canada... where 3$ from every pack of smokes goes to a lobby trying to convince people not to smoke. Or our entirely over expensive heathcare system where we spend thousands every year to keep hypocondriacs and old people entertained while at the same time unable to get a family doctor.

Other then that, yeah, this is a stupid fucking tax.

Retards addicted to nictone get all sorts of wonderful smoking related health problems. They jack our healthcare up. Cigarettes paying to deter others from smoking is a good thing.

Now if you are a smoker, you are fucking hypocrite.

Other than this brief Canadian aside.

This is retarded. I especially like how this article comes to light after Mr Brush said taxing the oil companies or retroactively claiming some money from the American Corprate Welfare that the down-trodden oil companies get is bad: it's especially bad to get that money back with all those record profits.

[gawaintheblind]

torrent = no tax. Move along, nothing to see here.

[sonysyndicate]

Why stop at videogames? Tax movies, dvds, and condoms.

[Citizen Philip]

Hey here's an idea how about tax the parent's of these kids so that it supports their school. Take half of the tax break given to these people that feel so inclined to keep popping them out and that should help things.

On another note along the same lines I have always disliked how people that are contributing to the over population problems are rewarded with upto $1000 dollars a kid, imagine what that could do for school funding. I know there will be some that disagree, mainly the ones that dont know how to stay zipped up, but I am tired of 1/4 of my paycheck going to bullshit that doesnt help me at all, then having a %5 sales tax on everything I buy then still having to pay deductions for health insurance, etc... and know they want to tax my main source of entertainment I hope it fails horribly and this guy is made a fool of.

/rant

I think you need to be spending less time with your main source of entertainment. The quality of your insights are lacking.

[Darkon]

Yes the quality of my insight is lacking which is the point I have no kids and at least for a few more years do not plan to have any so I am not contributing to the problem.

And I meant main source of purchased entertainment and have corrected my previous post. Aswhere I don't watch much TV maybe 5 or 6 hours a week as there is nothing good to watch unless your into reality TV, white trash shows such as jerry spring and the like or regurgitated (sp?) crap. So when I am home after working 45+ hours of rotating retail shifts, my only good source of entertainment other than general web surfing and such is video games.

And now that I think about it why not have extra taxes on reality TV shows and maybe there wouldn't be so friggin' many of them.

[mkelehan]

Why stop at videogames? Tax movies, dvds, and condoms.
Taxing condoms is pretty much the opposite of what we want; that would only serve to increase unwanted kids and STDs. It's high time to legalize prostitution and tax the hell out of it.

[Serapth]

Sounds like your chimney pipe ass should move to america if you want to PAY for healthcare. Your going to be one of the problems(assuming you smoke) that burdens our healthcare system, hypocrit?

ON TOPIC:

LOL Texans are great, if they taxed stupidity they'd be the richest state of all(moreso than now).


OFF TOPIC:
Actually, I dont smoke, I used to though. I do however thinks its a crock of shit that a product gets taxed so heavily to fund against the product in question. Plus, so you can get some perspective, a pack of smokes here is about 9 dollars, but the actual cost is about 3, so the rest is taxes.

As to moving to America and paying for Healthcare, if it werent for the rest of shit that comes with moving to the states, I would. Frankly, for any (middle class + ) Canadian, its a better deal moving to the states. Lets put it this way, the company I work for also has a division in Michigan and if I moved there I would get full medical coverage paid for by work. On top of that, as a Canadian in my pay bracket, I pay about 46% tax, of which about 40% goes to our bloated health care system. In real world dollars, that works out to about 8K a year. So... how good would my coverage be ( if my work didnt pay for it, which... they do ) if I paid 8K a year in medical premiums. That being JUST ME, no kids, no dependants nothing... just me.

The only major flaw with the US medical system is the drug monoply that you have created. Free market makes you guys pay way too much for drugs.

Oh, and in terms of quality of service... I have an issue that *could* but most likely isnt (due only to my age) cancer related, that takes a specialist to diagnose. It took 4 months to get an appointment, and guess when it is... June 20th, 2007. Yeah, social medicare is great :(

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

It's high time to legalize prostitution and tax the hell out of it.

Sarcasm or not I agree.

[Serapth]

Retards addicted to nictone get all sorts of wonderful smoking related health problems. They jack our healthcare up. Cigarettes paying to deter others from smoking is a good thing.

Now if you are a smoker, you are fucking hypocrite.

Other than this brief Canadian aside.

This is retarded. I especially like how this article comes to light after Mr Brush said taxing the oil companies or retroactively claiming some money from the American Corprate Welfare that the down-trodden oil companies get is bad: it's especially bad to get that money back with all those record profits.

Not to try and thread jack, but this mindset is bullshit. Thanks to all the health canada propaganda, etc... people continue to believe it. Guess what, the average pack a day smoker pays an extra 3000$ in taxes you dont. They arent jacking your health care up at all. Infact, they are probrably funding a good bit of it. You wanna bitch at the leeches to the health care system... sadly its old people and welfare cases. The first being because they are such chronic users ( go to a walkin clinic sometime, you'll agree ) and the second because they dont contribute shit to soceity.

[Serapth]

Sarcasm or not I agree.

Ditto.

First off, its going to happen anyways.

Secondly, legalized you can make it safer ( manditory blood screening, etc ).

Thirdly, violent crime related to prostitution should decrease.

Fourthly, the legal system should be less jammed by petty crime.

And finally, a new revinue source for the government.

[Expugnare]

It is a sad day to be a Texan.

[Serapth]

... I lived there for 6 months years back.

Nothings changed :) Austin is still one of the most kickass cities in North America though.

[Captain Awesome]

http://www.cracksmokingshirts.com/html/view_gal/476-2.jpg


Indeed. (http://www.cracksmokingshirts.com/html/NO_TEXAS_T-shirt.html)

[MajSheppard]

Last time I bought a video game I noticed they made three bucks off me in the form of sales tax.

[gizmo_x]

Funny, I thought funding for Texas schools was going to come from the Texas Lottery. I guess our elected officials here have padded their pockets with that bit of cash and have decided to move on to shaking down kids for a little extra scratch.

[The Letter 3]

Funny, I thought funding for Texas schools was going to come from the Texas Lottery. I guess our elected officials here have padded their pockets with that bit of cash and have decided to move on to shaking down kids for a little extra scratch.
True true. Same case in many other states. Schools are promised funding from various sources but all that money goes into a general fund which will supposedly be distributed to schools, environmental programs, etc. Then the state government blows a bunch of money on pork projects and takes from the general fund to make up the difference.

Here in Nebraska, our lottery is supposed to give back to schools, yet next year less state aid is being given to schools. The small, rural school district I came from (about 450 K-12) is getting $188,000 less in state aid next year.

This whole video game tax thing is absolute bullshit. The first few years the money will go to schools and they will make a big deal of it. Then just like Nebraska lottery money, it'll go to gold-plated toilets in the capital.

[rein]

Ditto.

First off, its going to happen anyways.

Secondly, legalized you can make it safer ( manditory blood screening, etc ).

Thirdly, violent crime related to prostitution should decrease.

Fourthly, the legal system should be less jammed by petty crime.

And finally, a new revinue source for the government.


You forgot one...


(warning:rated M for mature)


..and then I can find someone who will swollow on a regular basis. ;)

[Captain Awesome]

You forgot one...


(warning:rated M for mature)


..and then I can find someone who will swollow on a regular basis. ;)


lmao! :D

[mkelehan]

Sarcasm or not I agree.
No sarcasm here.

[Selar]

Legalizing prostitution is the best idea that will never happen in the US. It's safer for everyone involved and would generate a lot of tax revenue, but it would be political suicide to propose it and it would never pass any legislature.

Huh, what? Video games? Oh! Um, taxing games is dumb.

[Citizen Philip]

Not to try and thread jack, but this mindset is bullshit. Thanks to all the health canada propaganda, etc... people continue to believe it. Guess what, the average pack a day smoker pays an extra 3000$ in taxes you dont. They arent jacking your health care up at all. Infact, they are probrably funding a good bit of it. You wanna bitch at the leeches to the health care system... sadly its old people and welfare cases. The first being because they are such chronic users ( go to a walkin clinic sometime, you'll agree ) and the second because they dont contribute shit to soceity.

I could respond with something really insightful but I wont. I'll just post this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tobacco_smoking) and be done with it....

My $5 idiot tax is buying lottery tickets when it goes over $20 million (I have certain standards, if I win a lottery, 18mil, doesn't cut it). Your idiot tax of choice kills you and makes me pay for your treatment. Please (http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=get%20bent&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wi).

---

This idea still remains dumb.

[Pluvious]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Pluvious/Misc/headupass.jpg

[Paltry]

e games + tax = e games in class rooms?

[f1sh3r]

wow i thought i was already paying taxes to support education...

[Asmodan]

Before jumping all over Bush/Republicans one should realize that the good Senator Hinojosa is a Democrat.

For all the beating conservatives and Republicans take over supposedly being the ones always attacking gaming, censoring music, and generally being uncool it's just as often (if not more so) a Democrat doing this. Tipper Gore? Joe Lieberman? Rod Blagojevich?

Of course the new article lacks the (D) after his name and he is from Texas so it's an easy mistake to make. But I felt the need to point it out since the critics usually immediately jump on the 'religious right' as the driving force for this stuff. The wacky left is just as bad, they want to tax everything to pay for the government to hold your hand.

Join the Libertarian party, legalize everything, and get the government out of your life :P

[Goronmon]

Before jumping all over Bush/Republicans one should realize that the good Senator Hinojosa is a Democrat.WTF? I don't think anyone even mentioned Bush/Republicans/religious right in this thread.

What, do you have that reply C&P anytime you run across a message board where people are disagreeing with a Democrat?

[Goronmon]

I think you need to be spending less time with your main source of entertainment. The quality of your insights are lacking.QFT...<insert10characters>

[Asmodan]

WTF? I don't think anyone even mentioned Bush/Republicans/religious right in this thread.

What, do you have that reply C&P anytime you run across a message board where people are disagreeing with a Democrat?

No, actually I don't have it on cut and paste. Some of us can form complete sentences on the fly believe it or not.

And yes, someone mentioned Bush a page or two back. Nothing too harsh, nothing too overt... but I figured I'd say my piece before it degenerated into the usual bashing these threads always seem to become.

And finally, if you notice I mentioned that they are 'as bad as' implying I disagree with both extremes. However I'd rather see people better informed, since I'm thinking some of us here are old enough to vote and I'd like them to know that everything isn't coming from one side.

[jacktion]

The anagram for Texas is taxes.

[Selar]

And yes, someone mentioned Bush a page or two back. Nothing too harsh, nothing too overt...

Quote it. Honestly, no one brought any party politics into this except you. I'm pretty sure everyone agrees gaming laws are stupid no matter what party they come from.

[Cha-Ka]

And yes, someone mentioned Bush a page or two back. Nothing too harsh, nothing too overt... but I figured I'd say my piece before it degenerated into the usual bashing these threads always seem to become.

Well then quote it. I couldn't find such a reference. Maybe the simpsons image or the head-in-ass image just registered in your brain as republican bashing.

[Thenetcase]

So .... I think this is a great idea... provided that I don't have to pay "school" tax on my games since I'm NO LONGER IN A FRICKING SCHOOL!!!!
Oh... And I also predict that priracy among minors will go up by 70% if this takes effect.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... If we're going to start thinking about taxing people for the services they actually USE, why can't we stop taxing people for services they DO NOT use?

-TNC-

[ruceree88]

This makes no sense other then to add more dollars into someones pocket. Dosen't a percentage of the state lottery supposed to go to schools? Whatever happend to that? I suppose it goes to line more corrupt pockets just like allways.

[Achilles]

After having read a lot of articles based on different initiatives, it’s noted in the article if the representative is a Republican, but it isn’t if they’re a Democrat. In case anybody was wondering this guy is a Democrat.

I think this tax is misguided and they should find a better way to earn money for their school system. Like maybe set up a shoe factory that the students can work at in their off-hours. What? It’ll keep em off the street!

[Asmodan]

This is retarded. I especially like how this article comes to light after Mr Brush said taxing the oil companies or retroactively claiming some money from the American Corprate Welfare that the down-trodden oil companies get is bad: it's especially bad to get that money back with all those record profits.

Quoted for your viewing pleasure.

As I said, nothing too harsh or overt but it's usually how it starts.

And before you continue to jump on me try to read what I'm saying. I dislike this crap from *BOTH SIDES*, but the majority of people seem to think it only comes from one of them.

I really don't give a rats ass who you vote for as long you're informed. I'd just rather not see people brainwashed into believing that everything from <insert party here> is all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to our hobby. It doesn't and it isn't.

Of course the second someone says something in the least bit positive or negative about <insert party here> someone has to jump them and intimate they are paranoid party hacks.

[Slack3r78]

Not to try and thread jack, but this mindset is bullshit. Thanks to all the health canada propaganda, etc... people continue to believe it. Guess what, the average pack a day smoker pays an extra 3000$ in taxes you dont. They arent jacking your health care up at all. Infact, they are probrably funding a good bit of it. You wanna bitch at the leeches to the health care system... sadly its old people and welfare cases. The first being because they are such chronic users ( go to a walkin clinic sometime, you'll agree ) and the second because they dont contribute shit to soceity.
Congratulations, you've just demonstrated that you have no clue how costly treating many smoking related illnesses really is. Chemo, surgery, oxygen tanks, and hospital stays are sooo inexpensive after all.

[SMES]

So why do the people without kids have to support someone elses kids?

I'm so tired of paying for someone elses mistake of having ankle bitters.

I'm not suggesting that this tax is appropriate, but you clearly do not understand the benifits of having a strong public education system.

[SMES]

I don't have to pay "school" tax on my games since I'm NO LONGER IN A FRICKING SCHOOL!!!!
Another person who doesn't understand how public school works.

The tax might be misguided, because public education is one of those things that everyone should share the burden of. It does everyone a service to have a well funded education system that is available to everyone.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... If we're going to start thinking about taxing people for the services they actually USE, why can't we stop taxing people for services they DO NOT use?
If you don't think that you directly benifit by having good schools for all children, then you have a very limited definition of "benifit."

Again, without saying I support or don't support this tax, placing taxes on premium products rather than taxing everyone equally is a way to derive public funding from non-essential sectors of the consumer economy. This is why something that is needed, food, is not usually taxed as heavilly as other products that are not essential to life. At least that's the general theory, of course there are exceptions to this. One could make an argument that cigarettes are "neccisary for life," and that because of this they shouldn't be taxed. Tobacco is one of those things that politicians realized they could get away with taxing.

In the end the only way to influence taxes is to influence your politicians. I guess if this stuff outrages us enough, and politicians ignore us enough, eventually we'll have a revolution. It HAS been a while since the last one, after all...

[shnastybiznastic]

Chemo, surgery, oxygen tanks, and hospital stays are sooo inexpensive after all.
I am not a radiologist, however, it stands to reason that the cost to treat any illness is directly proportional to the time spent with trained professionals. Therefore, with the posible exception of surgery, most hospital visits should cost nearly the same.

[shnastybiznastic]

If you don't think that you directly benifit by having good schools for all children, then you have a very limited definition of "benifit."
Thank god someone said it!

[AniAko]

Hey if we're out to make money off of taxes, let's tackle all the markets where someone has some kind of beef. For instance, here's the ugly senator's suit and tie.

http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/04/sen-juan-hinojosa.jpg

We should tax that heavily, seeing that politicians need ugly $900 suits to represent my interests correctly. Like my interest in taxing games....... asshole :rolleyes: Do politicians REALLY forget they were elected BY US to REPRESENT OUR INTERESTS? He looks like his experience with technology goes as far as having email his secretary reads and responds to.....

[Schnoogs]

I guess they need more tax revenue to pay for schooling and medical coverage for illegals

[see colon]

no, they need more money for half of the politicians to steal/embezzle/get bribed with while the other half spends just as much money investigating the stealing/embezzling/bribing instead of fixing problems that regular people have to deal with.

[mikeohara]

oh well, they can't tax game sales outside the state ... looks like if this passes, my business goes to GoGamer (and I buy 2-3 games every couple of months).

[Tralfaz]

To be honest, here's the silly part of this tax proposal:

http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2006-04-17.0957

I pay huge sums of money in property tax toward the school district I am in (almost 3 times as much as all other property taxes). In addition every new highway they build is a toll road. I'm not saying I want them to start indiscriminantly burning through surpluss, but at the same time it doesn't seem like Texas needs anything new to tax. In addition, what this guy is proposing would just cause new problems in the form of arguments over which school districts should benefit from any new sources of income, or how each county should levy this tax since this sort of tax is usually handled a the county level.