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UK To Mull High Video Game Taxes — To Fight Knife Crime

Posted by timothy on from the so-it's-like-a-hunting-license dept.

chareverie writes "The Prime Minister of the UK is being urged to impose high taxes on violent video games in an effort to reduce the number of knife-related crime. The request comes from Richard Taylor, who argues that young people 'feel that the law has no control over them. They just feel that they can go on the streets and do whatever they like.' He doesn't have a definitive number on how much to tax on the offensive video games, but says that they should be 'very high.' Rap music is also voiced to be a concern due to the alleged negativity and language. Taylor's son, Damilola Taylor, was killed in November 2000 at the age of 10 by knife stabbing."

4 of 615 comments (clear)

  1. Separation of problem and solution by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The youth of Britain apparently feel that the law has no control over them (something I agree is probably the case).

    So you solve that by... raising taxes? It doesn't even matter on what, it might as well be rutabagas for the good it does you in terms of solving the problem. How is making video games that thugs want more expensive so they have to knife four more people to get the funds really going to help?

    Instead, how about imposing some more forceful law over those that feel the law is irrelevant to their actions? When actions start having real consequences, people can and will change.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  2. Some also want knives banned by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Some people in the UK are also calling for the ban of any pointed chef's knives. These people claim that there's no possible reason for a knife to have a point to it except to stab people. Now, I'm not a chef, but I've done my share of cooking. I will often use the pointed tip of my knife to "stab" a food item if the food (like, say tomatoes) resists my initial slice attempts (e.g. looks like it's going to squish instead of slice cleanly). What's next? Ban scissors? Box cutters (not just from planes but any possession of)? Swiss Army Knives?

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  3. Bullying was the cause of Damilola's death by bendytendril · · Score: 5, Interesting

    He was stabbed by a gang of 11 to 14-year-olds. The boy's mother had complained repeatedly to the principal about bullies, yet he did nothing.

    Bullying is the real problem here which should be addressed.

    --
    sig: pv qid
  4. Re:HUH? by Khashishi · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As a cook, I'd have to say that's a bad idea.