Free Republic

Chicago has won a legal battle allowing its wasteful “amusement tax” to be levied on everyday people. Residents who enjoy gaming will now have to pay a 9 percent tax for streaming services they buy through Playstation. They also have to pay this 9 percent tax on other streaming services for entertainment like Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu. The amusement tax is one of multiple examples of government using its ability to pick the pockets of the populace to select winners and losers in the market while paying its bills with money that citizens often do not realize they are spending....

PITTSBURGH —Starting Monday, Pennsylvania's 6 percent state sales tax will be extended to digital downloads and streaming subscription services like Netflix and Hulu. The measure was included in a revenue package passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Tom Wolf to fill a $1.3 billion hole in the state's new $31.5 billion budget. If a customer uses an account with a Pennsylvania billing address, the tax will be imposed. Businesses are responsible for collecting the tax and remitting it to the state Department of Revenue.

There should be small print on “Welcome to Chicago” signs – something along the lines of “businesses and innovators not actually welcome.” With its recent, growth-killing hike of the minimum wage and its ever-looming $20 billion pension hole, the Windy City finds itself at a major competitive disadvantage. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his Department of Finance just made matters worse with the introduction of new tax rules that will notably increase the cost of using popular streaming services like Netflix , Hulu, and Spotify. Desperate for new revenue to fill its dwindling coffers, Chicago is applying a 9 percent tax...