Gamers Outraged Over City’s New ‘Amusement Tax’
PlayStation just announced that due to a new “amusement tax,” any person with a billing address in Chicago will have to pay a 9 percent tax on essentially anything purchased through PlayStation, Steam, and other online services. That’s right, you can now be taxed for having fun in the privacy of your own home, and gamers are outraged.
Many cities have a so-called “amusement tax,” including cities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, and Wisconsin. But most states focus on taxing things like arcade games or music venues. The tax imposed in Chicago specifically targets digital media, such as the games themselves or access to participation (such as PlayStation Plus).
According to the tax ruling, the amusement tax classifies “Amusement” as meaning: (1) any exhibition, performance, presentation, or show for entertainment purposes, (2) any entertainment or recreational activity offered for public participation or on a membership or other basis, and (3) any paid television programming. . .
Not only does this affect PlayStation users, but also Steam users, and Xbox users have been paying this tax since last year. It is not the best time to be a gamer. Lately, gamers have felt bombarded by annoyances such as game companies increasing micro-transactions to try to squeeze every last penny out of their users, and being socially tarred as sexist, racist pigs due to video game design and a largely male user base. Now they are being singled out by Uncle Sam.
Gamers have taken to Reddit to express feelings of shock and disgust, as well as discuss what this means for the future of gaming. Reddit user Mulligen87 said “Chicagoan here. We already have one of the highest tax rates in the country ‘cause we have to pay a state, county, and city tax on top of whatever we buy. Looks like I might be traveling out to the suburbs more now to have fun. When a city is both broke and corrupt, they’re gonna tax you in every way possible.” (Read more from “Gamers Outraged Over City’s New ‘Amusement Tax’” HERE)
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