Will YOU Pay the Netflix Tax? - Comments Page 1

Apparently they haven't thought of taxing the air that residents breathe, or they felt guilty about taxing air that smelled so bad. (Oh wait, is it possible for a politician to feel guilt?)

People can talk and complain all they want but nothing will happen unless they get off their duffs and DO SOMETHING!! Email, snail mail and/or call those who think this is a good idea and give them a load, or be quiet and put up with it.

As a business owner I am very familiar with use tax. In Wisconsin the amount of legislation regarding what is taxable is like a billion pages. In truth, the idea of use tax has been around for a long time. If a purchase comes into your state and your county and is used by you at that address, your state and county have the authority to impose taxes that may not have been applied at the time of purchase due to the location of the purchase and the location of the purchaser. If I purchase something for our business in Oshkosh I pay 5% sales tax. If it is installed on a job or used by our business in our county (which is not the same county as the city of Oshkosh), I owe the .5% use tax. I must report it and pay it on the honor system. This is called business tax reporting.

Additionally, as a resident of Wisconsin, if I personally make a purchase out of state and use it in the state of Wisconsin and within my county I am liable to report this as well when I file my personal taxes yearly.

Do I like this? Not one bit. Do I think we are overtaxed throughout our lives? More than I can say. Do I think that I must obey the laws of the land? Yup. If I want change I have the ability to vote, write to legislators, or run for office myself (very unlikely). The tax system is very convoluted and is purposely so. It keeps taxpayers spinning trying to keep up with it, accountants and tax preparers in business trying to unravel it, and state workers and legislators employed.

Smaller government, shorter and limited terms that keep power at bay, and an entirely new tax system based entirely on purchases. No taxing of income but taxing only what people choose to buy.

It appears that this will amount, at least to an extent, to the double imposition of the "use" tax where the user is already being taxed on the bill from the internet provider. I know that your high speed cable bill from Comcast or Time Warner is already subject to a sales, i.e., use tax, where I am. In the case of Amazon Prime, the delivery charges on items ordered is subject to taxes as part of the purchase price. Let's not forget that the primary purpose of prime is to defray delivery charges. This is over reach by city hall.

I'll go you one better, or worse, actually. Time Warner Cable recently imposed a $2.50 fee on its cable TV customers for sports programming -- even if the customer hasn't subscribed to any sports channels! I'm about to cut the cord.

Well, we all have to pay for local services somehow. Better a tax on mindless entertainment than a perennial tax on your home. But of course, we'll see both. I bet more is spent on enforcement of the "Netflix tax" than is collected at first, because Chicago has to prove it's serious. Then Chicago will stop being so serious, a most cities do with hard-to-enforce laws.

This Chicago amusement tax sounds pretty bogus to me, but I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before we have to pay sales tax on all items we order online. Technically, we are already supposed to be paying that, but unless the company is located in the same state as the buyer, it doesn't get charged. I think that will have to change. Otherwise, companies like Amazon have a huge advantage over local stores.

Once that happens, I'm out. It would be double taxation in my estimation. Netflix is just one of the things I can access via the Internet, and I'm already being taxed for having that. A novel idea. Why don't cities start cutting back on their budgets? I have to live within my means, and so should the cities in which we live.

Well, I will cancel Netflix if they start charging me a "use" tax. I subscribe to their service but actually USE it very little.

I suppose REDBOX and other movie rentals will be charging for this tax coverage also.

This is the same Chicago which closed Meigs field in the middle of the night, contrary to FAA regs, so I would not be surprised at anything.

Isn't it amazing how many politicians are against 'big government' unless it can put money into 'their' coffers?? I don't think this will pass legal scrutiny when challenged, but you never know. Aren't they just great with taking money, but ask for funding for schools, hungry children, veterans, women's health, etc and it's every man (or woman) for himself. Disgusting :(

With politicians---Its Never Enough! The game never stops on their ploy to get more money. Meanwhile they spend millions upon millions to get elected...what does THAT tell you?
This is just the first step...if they get away with it, it will be "Open Season" on the internet.

I know Illinois in general is desperately in debt. I imagine Chicago is too. Of course, I doubt they're going to get much for this use tax.

tax & spend (lavishly), tax & spend (lavishly), tax & spend (lavishly), etc. -- it's all what the left is great at doing

What do you expect from an ex-Obama tax-o-matic advisor who believes in taking from those that have and give to those who do not have.

I don't understand how the citizens in Illinois keep re-electing these politicians who keep coming up with new ways to tax us so they can stuff more money into their pockets.

I am sticking w/the 2 acronyms I coined 6 years ago:
DSOP$ = DON'T Spend Other People's Money
DSOPt = DON'T Spend Other People's time
If anyone violates either of these, then they are off my peachy list forever! I am hoping Mr. Chicago reads your great newsletter.

http://bit.ly/1MTDr6Y Looks like my over the air antenna is going to get a workout.

I don't understand how a State with a Republican Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and half of the House, as being "controlled" by the Left (as stated above)!