Chicago Now Taxes Netflix And Other Cloud-Based Services

Just wait till they try to start taxing companies in Chicago for using AWS, Azure etc.
 
redmasc said:
Ok, so they tax Netflix at 9%. Most of us have the stream only option and it's typically $7 a month for that service. 9% of $7 is .63 cents. Over a year, you'll be paying $7.56 with the new tax. Doesn't seem like a bit hit. I spend more on liquor at a bar in 1 night. It's still bull, and nickel and diming you, but it's not that bad.
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That type of mentality is how cents turn into dollars which then turn into Benjamins. It is all about slowly raising the temperature on the pot of water.
 
magoo said:
I mean really......is the next step taxing OTA television?
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In Japan, there's people who work for national broadcaster (NHK) who go door to door asking people to pay a tax if you have a TV in your house. So don't think it won't ever happen here.
 
TwistedAegis said:
This. It isn't even like the rationale used for taxing Amazon, which is that it is detrimental to local merchants who have to charge sales tax, thus allowing Amazon to undercut everyone.
.
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On the other hand Amazon rarely benefits from the services that the local sale taxes is suppose to provide so now, the local merchants enjoy the benefits and pay the tax and Amazon just pays the tax. Amazon should be paying tax at a much reduced rate at most commensurate with the actual benefit they experience. And UPS is likely already paying taxes in various forms which cover delivery related services like roads. .
 
jpm100 said:
On the other hand Amazon rarely benefits from the services that the local sale taxes is suppose to provide so now, the local merchants enjoy the benefits and pay the tax and Amazon just pays the tax. Amazon should be paying tax at a much reduced rate at most commensurate with the actual benefit they experience. And UPS is likely already paying taxes in various forms which cover delivery related services like roads. .
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Amazon doesn't pay them, the residents of the area do, which is who is meant to benefit from the taxes used for the roads, etc.

And UPS, FedEx and gas taxes alone aren't close enough to paying for roads.
 
FndTheRver said:
In Japan, there's people who work for national broadcaster (NHK) who go door to door asking people to pay a tax if you have a TV in your house. So don't think it won't ever happen here.
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Doesn't Japan have a nationalized TV stations? I don't know what the cost is in Britain, but the BBC sure does have a lot of good shows....shows that we pay for on cable.
 
It's Chicago, look who it's run by for a simple conclusion.

As another poster noted, if they could figure out a way to tax you for breathing they would.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Put down the pitchforks people


How many cloud based services are actually going to give a fuck what one city wants? How many cloud based services are going to go through the trouble of checking IP addresses to see if they correspond to a Chicago based address? No one is going to pay a tax on this.
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They will collect tax based on your mailing address or your billing address for your credit card, they don't need to check IP's.
 
nilepez said:
Doesn't Japan have a nationalized TV stations? I don't know what the cost is in Britain, but the BBC sure does have a lot of good shows....shows that we pay for on cable.
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Iceland has a yearly TV and Radio Tax that fund the national TV and radio stations.
One way of getting around it is to never purchase a TV or Radio in your name.
My uncles would have my grandma buy the TV's and Radios in her name so they wouldn't be taxed. The Tax is not per item, it's a flat fee, so it doesn't matter how many you have.
 
It seems that Chicago has made a good start for the US Gov. They need more money to boost their Aircraft Carriers, travelling around the world
 
amdgamer said:
That type of mentality is how cents turn into dollars which then turn into Benjamins. It is all about slowly raising the temperature on the pot of water.
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Very good analogy.

FndTheRver said:
In Japan, there's people who work for national broadcaster (NHK) who go door to door asking people to pay a tax if you have a TV in your house. So don't think it won't ever happen here.
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Maybe not TV... but we have NPR, which is increasingly becoming a government propaganda machine. I could bash on liberals here (because that's currently who NPR panders to), but it was the same shit when Bush was in office. They should just start calling it "National Propaganda Radio".

TwistedAegis said:
Amazon doesn't pay them, the residents of the area do, which is who is meant to benefit from the taxes used for the roads, etc.
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Amazon has to pass them on to the consumer, yes... but there is definitely an impact on Amazon's sales as a result. All you need to do is take one trip to FatWallet or SlickDeals to see people saying "tax kills the deal for me". There are a lot of people out there who blame Amazon and other online resellers for that, when in fact, it's the greedy ass government's fault entirely.

If I spend my money glibly, don't do a budget, and buy more than I can afford, I can't walk into my bosses office and demand a raise. I have to prove that I provide a service that is worth the additional pay they *might* be willing to afford me. The government should absolutely be no different. Here in Colorado Springs (for now, at least), the citizens have to approve tax increases. I have three kids in public schools, and would love for more money to be put into them. The city government tries every year to raise taxes and play the whole "it's for the children" game, but time and time again, the money never bears any fruit, and lines the pocket of all the bureaucrats and unions the politicians are cozy with. Thank God for us being able to retain the right to raise taxes...

Studies in economics have proven that lowering taxes and reducing regulations creates jobs and additional tax revenue. There is a chart out there that shows the effectiveness on raising taxes, vs lowering taxes. I'll see if I can find it.

And UPS, FedEx and gas taxes alone aren't close enough to paying for roads.
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Well, it's a good thing that's not the only tax these cities levy </sarcasm>. The people in these ultra liberal cities are taxed out the nose. It's a shame.
 
Flapjack said:
Very good analogy.


Maybe not TV... but we have NPR, which is increasingly becoming a government propaganda machine. I could bash on liberals here (because that's currently who NPR panders to), but it was the same shit when Bush was in office. They should just start calling it "National Propaganda Radio".
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Said not one non partisan analysis of NPR. In fact, they're considered the least biased news organization in the U.S. They're considered less liberal than the Wall Street Journal (with respect to news, not the WSJ's editorial page, which is consistently well to the right.
 
nilepez said:
Said not one non partisan analysis of NPR. In fact, they're considered the least biased news organization in the U.S. They're considered less liberal than the Wall Street Journal (with respect to news, not the WSJ's editorial page, which is consistently well to the right.
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What study was that? I can't find it, and find it hard to believe.

Do you honestly believe NPR is less biased than say, C-Span?
 
Ducman69 said:
Yup, I think it all started with the mafia and the prohibition, then they went into gambling, then into unions, and finally just into government to run the show.
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Par for the course for a Democratic stronghold!

:D /dons flamesuit :D
 
Climber said:
Par for the course for a Democratic stronghold!

:D /dons flamesuit :D
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You shouldn't get flamed for the truth. Democrat-run cities have the most crime, the most corruption, and the worst outlook for poor citizens. Not to mention gun crime, and the highest chance of being killed by an illegally owned gun. They have some of the worst deficits, and by far higher waste than Republican run cities.

I will caveat my statement by saying there are some definite Republican crooks also ruining cities. Politicians are far too easily influenced, no matter what the party. That is why we need strict controls over them. Stricter term limits, and more visibility into how their wealth grows by having them submit their own earnings and budgets would be good steps. Just look at Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. They've made ungodly amounts of money for their "service", and have built crony empires that continue to blow money on dumb shit like the magnificent hoax that global warming is (or whatever the fuck they want to call it today).

Berate the Tea Party all you want, but they are our best hopes of breaking the two-party system and reducing corruption by our "government servants" (ain't that an ironic term).
 
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