Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

GOP tax plan singles out violent video game makers
Washington Examiner ^ | FEBRUARY 26, 2014 | ASHE SCHOW

Posted on 02/27/2014 10:48:21 PM PST by JerseyanExile

In another example of the government picking winners and losers, the House Ways and Means Committee, in its long-awaited tax reform bill, singles out violent video game makers for tax increases.

On page 19 of the executive summary, the committee mentions an improved and permanent research and development tax credit, which has benefitted countless industries from manufacturers to software creators to food producers.

The summary advocates for “an improved, permanent R&D tax credit, finally giving American manufacturers the certainty they need to compete against their foreign competition who have long had permanent R&D incentives."

Well, unless they make violent video games.

Despite the promise of an improved R&D tax credit, the bill – on page 24 – removes that tax credit from the violent video game industry, under a section about closing loopholes.

One of the plan's provisions: “Preventing makers of violent video games from qualifying for the R&D tax credit."

This is funny, given the fact that on the very next page the summary says the bill “stops the practice of using the tax code to pick winners and losers based on political power rather than economic merit.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: games; videogames
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

1 posted on 02/27/2014 10:48:21 PM PST by JerseyanExile
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

We need to pull a Ukraine and storm the castle so the adults can take over.


2 posted on 02/27/2014 10:55:45 PM PST by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

The Elites continue to show their insanity and arrogance.


3 posted on 02/27/2014 11:00:18 PM PST by EagleUSA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

There should be ONE rate and no exception or subsidies


4 posted on 02/27/2014 11:08:20 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Veggie Todd; JerseyanExile
Worst of all, the stupid hypocrite actually put this in the executive summary, "The Tax Reform Act of 2014 stops the practice of using the tax code to pick winners and losers"

Then few pages away singles out software companies making games..

Stuff like this makes the GOP look really old and out of touch.

5 posted on 02/27/2014 11:08:41 PM PST by Wayne07
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MrShoop

The GOPe are losers through and through


6 posted on 02/27/2014 11:12:19 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

via nsa

“the only people consistently buying violence rated games are stuck in their parents basements who as we all know those parents are the only people paying taxes so we should tax those taxpayers more”


7 posted on 02/27/2014 11:26:46 PM PST by bigheadfred
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
There should be ONE rate and no exception or subsidies

I've been saying this for a while — along with witholdings.
Income-tax is particularly insidious in that regard.

Tax Reform Amendment
Section I
No tax, federal or state, shall ever be withheld from the wages of a worker of any citizen of either.

Section II
No property shall be seized for failure to pay taxes until after conviction in a jury trial; the right of the jury to nullify (and thereby forgive) this debt shall never be questioned or denied.

Section III
The second amendment is hereby recognized as restricting the power of taxation, both federal and state, therefore no tax (or fine) shall be laid upon munitions or the sale thereof.

Section IV
The seventh amendment is also hereby recognized, and nothing in this amendment shall restrict the right of a citizen to seek civil redress.

Section V
No income tax levied by the federal government, the several States, or any subdivision of either shall ever exceed 10%.

Section VI
No income tax levied by the federal government, the several States, or any subdivision of either shall ever apply varying rates to those in its jurisdiction.

Section VII
No retroactive or ex post facto tax (or fee) shall ever be valid.

Section VIII
The congress may not delegate the creation of any tax or fine in any way.

Section IX
No federal employee, representative, senator, judge, justice or agent shall ever be exempt from any tax, fine, or fee by virtue of their position.

Section X
Any federal employee, representative, senator, judge, justice or agent applying, attempting to apply, or otherwise causing the application of an ex post facto or retroactive law shall, upon conviction, be evicted from office and all retirement benefits forfeit.

8 posted on 02/27/2014 11:29:57 PM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

I know some of us wanted the pubbies to start playing the way the dems do ... but it was never intended they would start by targeting and taxing free enterprise.


9 posted on 02/28/2014 12:46:12 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

It’s okay, but it comes across as written in anger. Plus when you specifically enumerate, you implicitly exclude anything not on the list, so you should be more generic, like Federal employee, appointee, Elected, Consultant ... etc ...


10 posted on 02/28/2014 2:33:46 AM PST by Usagi_yo (Standardization is an Evolutionary dead end.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

They want to punish makers of games like Call Of Duty, but have no problem sending kids into real world versions of that game.


11 posted on 02/28/2014 2:57:45 AM PST by AnAmericanInEngland
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanInEngland

“They want to punish makers of games like Call Of Duty, but have no problem sending kids into real world versions of that game.”

Not only that, but if you truly wanted to go after the group most influencing people towards inappropriate violence, the movie industry would be a far better target. That said, I don’t advocate using taxes as a stick in any case.


12 posted on 02/28/2014 3:56:42 AM PST by PreciousLiberty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile

Republicans - the party of small government and fairness. Lol


13 posted on 02/28/2014 4:30:17 AM PST by Red6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark; GeronL

ok i am in

if i sneak into your room and whisper all those good ideas (sweet nothings) into your ear you won’t tax me when you wake
will ya shark

but i would love any biting reply


14 posted on 02/28/2014 5:46:27 AM PST by bigheadfred
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

I agree, but what you describe is quite literally not possible.

Business taxation is based net income, which is income minus expenses.

By definition such a system has to define what qualifies as an expense in great detail. In doing so some activities and businesses will be favored and others disfavored.


15 posted on 02/28/2014 6:01:05 AM PST by Sherman Logan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: JerseyanExile
This is Prior Restraint in a tax form.

There's also another term for something that taxes only one group. Its also illegal.

16 posted on 02/28/2014 6:04:21 AM PST by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

I like it!


17 posted on 02/28/2014 6:08:14 AM PST by RandallFlagg ("I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn't know how to use it." --Quigley)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Usagi_yo
It’s okay, but it comes across as written in anger.

Hm, how do you figure that? (What parts?)

Plus when you specifically enumerate, you implicitly exclude anything not on the list, so you should be more generic, like Federal employee, appointee, Elected, Consultant ... etc ...

This is true; the problem is that federal employee seems to be rather whimsically applied when it comes to congressmen — remember John Murtha? He got out of being held liable for slander because judges considered him a federal employee and doing his job so that they could excuse him from calling some marines murderers on public/national TV.

18 posted on 02/28/2014 7:25:12 AM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

Sorry, it’s just looks like it’s written by somebody with a chip on their shoulder.

To me, at least, it seems like forcing full financial disclosures with clean bill of health from the IRS (audit) at every election cycle would be better than enforcing taxation on them.

We don’t have a right to privacy anymore, why should they?


19 posted on 02/28/2014 8:09:23 AM PST by Usagi_yo (Standardization is an Evolutionary dead end.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Usagi_yo
Sorry, it’s just looks like it’s written by somebody with a chip on their shoulder.

Well, I won't lie: I'm very disturbed by (and both religiously and philosophically opposed to) withholdings.

(James 5:4)
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

(Proverbs 3:27-28)
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

(Deuteronomy 24:14-15)
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.

(Malachi 3:5)
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

The whole system of tax-credits, write-offs, exemptions is so prone to abuse that I think all I need to say about that is: look at my tagline.

20 posted on 02/28/2014 8:31:50 AM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson