What a time to be alive, friends! New York’s governor David Patterson (above), who owes his job to Elliot Spitzer’s private stupidity, has proposed a budget that includes 88 new fees and taxes. Among the newly taxed items is the iPod (and other portable media players) as well as “digitally delivered entertainment services.” Should the budget pass, expect lawmakers to interpret that last item, the services, as damn near anything: iTunes downloads, Beatport, Netflix streaming, you name it.
Tough cookies, innovative companies, there’s a budget shortfall.
Other items to be taxed: soda and other non-nutrional drinks like beer and wine, clothes costing less than $110 (there used to be a tax break there), cable and satellite TV services and taxi rides. Remember, there’s 88 of these new fees.
There’s one primary reason for the iPod tax (we’ll just call it “the iPod tax” because that sounds more alarmist), and it’s that Wall Street collapsed under its own weight, depriving the state of much needed revenue. (How smart was it to depend on Wall Street so heavily?)
Again, the budget is still subject to approval by New York State’s wonderfully efficient legislature. Even if it does pass, I doubt New Yorkers will stop buying iPods or songs from iTunes despite having to pay a certain percentage more. Right now, the New York Daily News’ poll shows that 91 percent of respondents wouldn’t stop using iTunes to buy music even if the tax were to pass.
I’ll wait till the budget is approved before standing on a soapbox.
New York, is really starting to get ridiculous. First taxes on Internet and mail order items, now soda, Ipods what else? People are already having a hard time living on one of the most expensive places on earth, and instead of cutting spending and salary’s and bonuses, and other stupid crap they love to attack the middle income folks. He’s too blind to see what really needs to be done. Literally!!!
Will I be taxed for laughing at this article?
This is nothing. Wait for Obama’s tax hike.
“digitally delivered entertainment” — isn’t that what got Spitzer in trouble in the first place?
Bada-bing!
So let me get this straight, democrats are planning to ultimately take product sales from successful product manufacturers due to a higher cost of the goods and plans to give tax dollars to failing manufacturers (automotive in this case).
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need”
Thank god the party of change is now in full control.