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Philly Requiring Bloggers To Pay $300

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the blood-from-blogger dept.

Kurofuneparry writes "Pennsylvania generally and Philadelphia specifically have had a number of budget issues and some bloggers are seeing the results. From the article: '... yes, cash-strapped cities can't very well ignore potential sources of income. But at the same time, there must be some room for discretion and common sense.'"

14 of 456 comments (clear)

  1. Not all bloggers, just those that make money by odies · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So she says he runs a blog with ads and profits from, but is surprised that she actually needs to pay taxes and the other usual legistation while running a business? Yes, just like the Google, IGN or other huge sites on the internet that make money by advertising, he is also running a business.

    It also looks like she only made like $50 between several years. That comes down to like $1-2 a month. Why not just drop the ads and continue blogging? If you really need a few dollars, just find a few bottles from the street and return them to stores.

    1. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Insightful

      but is surprised that she actually needs to pay taxes and the other usual legistation while running a business?

      Taxes are assessed as a percentage of your income in most cases. In this instance the city wants to compel her to obtain a "business license" and pay $300 for the privilege, regardless of the fact that the "business" in question didn't even gross that much income. It seems absurd that one should have to get permission from the city before one can write a blog on their home computer.

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    2. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by God'sDuck · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Some governments have common sense -- I'm about to shut down my NJ photography "business" because I make less annually than the minimum amount where a business ID is required. Below that, it's legally a "hobby that makes money." You still owe income tax on the profits, but don't need to handle any extra paperwork. Blogging really should be the same...

    3. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You just need to get a business license if you're making money with it

      That's absurd. Business licenses should only exist to generate the revenue required to regulate businesses that can harm the public. As an example, restaurants require safety inspections to ensure that they are preparing their food in a safe manner. Those inspections cost money. Requiring them to obtain a license to offset the cost of these inspections makes sense.

      In this instance it's just silly. A blog can harm no one. It can't cause your street traffic to increase or your property values to go down as a brick and mortar business can. Government regulation is neither needed nor permissible in this case.

      She can pay income taxes on her blog ads without needing a business license. I'm sorry, but I just don't see a way you can defend the requirement that someone obtain an expensive license from the city before they can publish their thoughts on the world wide web.....

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    4. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Keep your public outrage. It's not like we're talking about a small front-lawn lemonade stand. The kid made almost 2000$. At 50c each, that amounts to 4000+ sold drinks. Plus the stand was on a public fair (regularly if I understand it correctly). At that volume it is reasonable to start to apply professional rules.

    5. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by Lord+Byron+II · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Have you ever sold a book on Amazon? Or a knick-knack on eBay? Or run a website with ads? Or held a garage sale? Or sold a couch on Craigslist?

      Those are all sources of income and you are required, by law, to report them. And if you did so in Philly, you would be required to buy a $300 business license.

      But most of us don't bother to report such small transactions, so yes, she is being punished for her honesty.

    6. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by stdarg · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sounds more like the kid needs to be congratulated and helped. Rather than shut the girl's "business" down, why didn't the government do something like help her come up to code? It would have been a much better public relations maneuver.

    7. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by kevinNCSU · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, you only report capital gains. So unless you you're selling that book/couch/garage sale item/knick-knack on ebay for more than you bought it for it needn't be reported. This is also why you don't have to report selling a personal used car - there usually aren't any gains.

    8. Re:Not all bloggers, just those that make money by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      just so they get the opportunity to aggravate the hell out of the IRS.

      My money's on the tax man. Any takers? :-)

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
  2. Lesson learned? by Bai+jie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems that the state only knows about these bloggers because they reported income made from blogs on their taxes. Seems like the lesson here is to not report small gains on your taxes else your state will fleece you.

    This is sad because these people did pay taxes on this tiny amount of income already on their income tax. By trying to be good citizens and play by the rules they are rewarded with a fee that would either put them out of business or make them less honest about their income in the future.

  3. Not completely outragious... by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm sure I will get flamed for this..

    While I personnaly do not consider people blogging, to be business entities, I do not make up the rules. Whether or not the rule is flawed here is not the point, until said rule is changed people will have to abide by it. I consider a blog by a corporate entity an extension of the business they are running or services they are providing.

    That being said, there should be some common sense involved when enforcing it based on the amount of income a blog generates. In the case of those referenced in to article, making them pay seems a little ridiculous.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    1. Re:Not completely outragious... by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unless she is incorporated, it should be considered a personally owned business. Do 17 year olds who mow their neighbors' lawns have to pay this fee? Paying tax on the income ($50) makes sense, but paying $300 for being a business doesn't.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  4. Inevitable taxing of the free money by hessian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All those ads, Examiner.com payments, "send paypal donation" buttons, etc. have been untaxed income for a long time. All that's happening now is that states are awakening and correcting the balance.

    Asking for a business license so that you can publish content and be paid for it is not an unfair thing. In fact, it's fair to those who want to sell hot dogs instead, and also have to get licensed as a result.

    --
    Futurist Traditionalism
  5. Re:A better way to screw the city ... by bem · · Score: 5, Insightful

    However, since she can prove she loses money, she should ask the city to exempt her from ALL municipal taxes, as she is obviously a non-profit.

    Being unprofitable is not the same as being a non-profit.