“Democratic politicians in state capitols are more likely than Republicans to permit what critics are calling the ‘iTunes tax’–taxes on digital purchases of songs and movies. A CNET News.com analysis of the states that tax digital downloads, such as those from the iTunes Music Store, shows that nine protax states have legislatures controlled by Democrats. By contrast, five of the protax states have Republican-controlled legislatures,” Declan McCullagh reports for CNET News. “New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat, proposed in his budget that ‘downloaded music and videos’ be taxed starting Oct. 1. The state tax agency expects legislation to be introduced in June.”
“Taxpayer advocates have criticized the trend toward increased taxation of downloaded media files,” McCullagh reports. “‘I’m sure that state and local officials, given enough time, will come up with a sky-is-falling study saying that if they’re not allowed to tax this, they’ll lose a trillion dollars a year,’ said Pete Sepp, vice president for communications at the National Taxpayers Union, a nonpartisan group that advocates lower taxes… Sepp also argues that digital downloads are already being taxed. He says that anyone connecting to the Internet through dial-up, DSL or a cable modem is already paying telecommunications taxes; anyone with an iPod paid sales taxes on it; companies offering downloads are paying property taxes; their stockholders are paying dividend or capital gain taxes; their employees are paying income taxes.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Democrats are more likely to favor taxes than Republicans? Shocker.
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Related article:
Steve Jobs uses 4.5M Apple shares to pay $295M in taxes on 10M vested shares – March 24, 2006
Forbes’ list of world’s richest people: Apple CEO Steve Jobs 140th with $4.4 billion – March 09, 2006
Well I guess you have to pay off those trillions of dollars in deficit somehow!
Democrats SUCK!!!
pog=terrorist
Liberalism is a mental disorder!!
In CT the dems killed the end of the automobile property tax. Their trying to increase the just increased by over 20% energy tax. It never ends. The dems are basically commie-socialists.
Is there anything out there a Democrat doesn’t salivate to tax?
Intolerance is a mental disorder
And in another new study, it was found that Republicans are more likely to send your kids to war in foreign lands based on a trumped up threat, and to milk the cash flow supporting that war to buy themselves very large yachts.
… and more likely to tax everything else you do or use.
I meant they’re. I apologize to the spelling police. Trying to type fast during my down time.
democ-rats will tax you out of house and home to pay for their socialism.
MW–bad, how do it know?
“Liberalism is a mental disorder!!”
What do you call today’s Conservative movement (in the US)? I call it insanity, mixed with a large dose of stupidity.
Typical liberals. Tax and spend, tax and spend…it never ends. As for “tolerance,” the only damn thing liberals and Democrats are tolerant of is their own misguided agenda.
When was it, exactly, that paying taxes stopped being a civic duty and became a socialist plot? Oh yeah, I remember . . .1964 . . .when Goldwater got embarrassed.
Match the people (Rush Limbaugh, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy) to the quotes below:
1. “Republicans believe every day is the 4th of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.”
2. “If you’re not a liberal at 20, you have no heart, and if you’re not a conservative at 40, you have no head.”
3. “An economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues to balance our budget just as it will never produce enough jobs or enough profits… In short, it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now.”
4. “No nation ever taxed itself into prosperity.”
Tergenev: Reality Translation:
“Republicans are more likely to fight to defend America than Democrats and are willing to stand up to terrorists and rogue state threats – despite the continual derision/assault of Democrats and liberals.”
and in other news the flip flopping, freedom of speach hating, dems, just tried to weaken anti-terrorism laws again so one of our cities will wind up getting nuked! makes me want to PUKE!
Historian, are you going to post the answers??
Nah, it was probably in 1980 when Carter left the country’s economy in shambles.
First off, this is a tech info site, not a political site, I suggest that you keep as far away from politics as possible, especially given the current political climate. Read ‘Democrats Suck’ above. Whether you all like it or not, taxes are a requirement in any organized civilized country, it is not the taxes that are the problem, but the fact that the people spending the tax dollars, read government, have little respect for the value of that dollar we put into the system. I don’t know anyone, Republican or Democrat, who would directly send their hard earned, after tax dollars, to fight the war in irax, build a bridge to nowhere in alaska, or any other pork project. But without at least some of our tax dollars being spent effectively, we would not have roads, water, sewers, electricity, velcro, or these cute little computers we all play with. If you are really upset about something our local, state, or federal governments are doing with your tax dollars, do something about it. But don’t complain, whine, and throw rocks without a purpose. That only purpetuates the situation we are all in currently. I agree our current system must change, but let’s work together positively to solve it and not disparage anyone just because you don’t want to spend the energy or take the time to do it.
“Democrats are more likely to favor taxes than Republicans? Shocker.”
This is true, but remember that Republicans are in favor of cutting taxes for the richest 1% of the population.
At least Dems will (typically) put the extra tax dollars to improve society, rather than give it away to those who need it least.
However, I still think that digital media being downloaded should NOT be taxed.
Boy the BS started quick on this one. What a shocker!
Speaking for my defective brothers, I strongly object to being compared to US conservatives.
Please withdraw this comment and compare them to something less likely to be offended, like a zucchini or a small piece of putty or maybe some of that weird stuff that collects in between your toes.
I’m leaving now to put my underpants on my head and stick pencils up my nose.
Democrats=Socialism
Those of us who work our asses off keeping two jobs to remain self-sufficient are taxed to death to support the unmotivated masses who birth themselves into poverty and sit on their asses all day watching Jerry Springer and the soaps.
Accountability for our own irresponsible actions to both self and society is being slowly weeded out by the liberals.
“Republicans believe every day is the 4th of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.” – Ronald Reagan
“If you’re not a liberal at 20, you have no heart, and if you’re not a conservative at 40, you have no head.” – Winston Churchill
“An economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues to balance our budget just as it will never produce enough jobs or enough profits… In short, it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now.” – John F. Kennedy
“No nation ever taxed itself into prosperity.” – Rush Limbaugh
What do I win? Tax amnesty?