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Pennsylvania To Apply 6% 'Netflix Tax' (allflicks.net)

Posted by BeauHD on from the nickel-and-dime dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania has signed into law a new revenue package that will require residents to pay a 6% sales tax on their streaming subscriptions. AllFlicks reports: "Though the term 'Netflix tax' has become popular, laws like this don't just affect Netflix -- they also affect competitors like Hulu and HBO Now. App purchases and ebooks are also affected. They recently decided on a hefty $31.5 billion budget, and they came up $1.3 billion short of paying for it. The government is trying to close that funding gap, and streaming subscribers are being stuck with the bill." Magazine and newspaper subscriptions, as well as digital versions of the Bible, will be exempt from the digital downloads tax, reports CBS Local News in Pittsburgh.

10 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. any proxy sales soar by itzdandy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...get your vpn proxy now

    1. Re:any proxy sales soar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So buy a prepaid card in New York. That's how I paid for Netflix the first time.

    2. Re:any proxy sales soar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      PA: "Hey Netflix, who is subscribing with a PA address?"
      Netflix: "Fuck off, we're not in your taxing jurisdiction."

  2. Yay for regressive taxes! by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    For those of you playing at home those are taxes that disproportionately impact the poor, working poor and (in this case) working class. They're worth double points because not only do you get to use money to fund tax cuts on the 1% but the people you tax get angry and start demanding tax cuts; which you can oblige with even _more_ tax cuts for the 1%. Uncle Rove calls this "Starve the Beast".

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  3. Ok by jfdavis668 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    back to pirating content.

  4. WTF PA? by monkeyzoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Glad to see the separation of church and state is alive in well in the U S of A!!!
    "...digital versions of the Bible will be exempt from the digital downloads tax"

    If they wanted an exemption that would do society some good, they should exempt textbooks, but then kids might get exposed to more of that heretical "science."

    1. Re: WTF PA? by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There's that, and I am curious how they're collecting sales taxes from Netflix given that Netflix likely doesn't have a presence there.

  5. Re:Religious Exemption by monkeyzoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No one should've modded you down!

    This law is a flagrant F.U. to the separation of church and state...
    "Digital versions of the Bible will be exempt from the digital downloads tax."

    If they wanted an exemption that would do society some good, thye should exempt textbooks, but then kids might get exposed to more of that heretical "science."

  6. Re:Religious Exemption by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I was just going to say, that doesn't sound fair. What about digital versions of the Talmud or the Koran or the Bhagavad-Vita?

  7. Re:Only the Bible? by guises · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Do you seriously believe that that's in the bill as it's been written? You see that and think to yourself: "This confirms my worldview of stupid evil lawmakers. I believe this 100%, it couldn't possibly just be lazy reporting."