JOHN P. GAMBOA: Sin taxes give the market a bad rap
Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: State of Mind
Sin taxes are nothing new to the United States. Basically, sin taxes are fees added to non-luxury goods that the government deems detrimental to its people.
Generally, the excises are levied upon products such as cigarettes and alcohol. However, two states, New Mexico and Wisconsin, are attempting to put a similar tax on video games, TVs and electronics.
New Mexico's "Leave No Child Inside" campaign aims to use the tax to get kids outside and visit the natural splendors of the "Land of Enchantment." New Mexico also plans to spend the money on outdoor educational programs.
The idea behind the plan is admirable, but will it work? At best, this plan is lazy. At worst, it's completely ridiculous.
People who don't play video games often have misconceptions about the games and their content and, as a result, pass them off as child's play. Games are now at the level of storytelling typical of a Hollywood film, offering more than many people imagine.
The Entertainment Software Association reports the average game player is 33 years old, not the much imagined middle school child. Similar studies show that games people buy and play are not all adaptations of "Hannah Montana." If this proposed bill hopes to gain speed by thinking it is helping kids, it needs to focus on taxing something more kids than adults would use.
New Mexico's proposal, which is not the first of its kind, is aimed more at curbing child obesity and bringing them outdoors. Obesity is a problem that needs to be dealt with everywhere, but taxing of electronics and video games is misguided.
The rationale behind the proposal is that although 80 percent of children in New Mexico live within 30 minutes of a state park, only 10 percent have ever visited one. The Sierra Club, the bill's major third-party supporter in New Mexico, believes that video games are connected to poor school performance and obesity in children.
As result, supporting a video game excise tax will help curb child obesity and low test scores by discouraging children - who don't even make up gaming's main demographic - from playing video games. While this is supposed to make things better for everyone, the pieces don't really fit.
Generally, the excises are levied upon products such as cigarettes and alcohol. However, two states, New Mexico and Wisconsin, are attempting to put a similar tax on video games, TVs and electronics.
New Mexico's "Leave No Child Inside" campaign aims to use the tax to get kids outside and visit the natural splendors of the "Land of Enchantment." New Mexico also plans to spend the money on outdoor educational programs.
The idea behind the plan is admirable, but will it work? At best, this plan is lazy. At worst, it's completely ridiculous.
People who don't play video games often have misconceptions about the games and their content and, as a result, pass them off as child's play. Games are now at the level of storytelling typical of a Hollywood film, offering more than many people imagine.
The Entertainment Software Association reports the average game player is 33 years old, not the much imagined middle school child. Similar studies show that games people buy and play are not all adaptations of "Hannah Montana." If this proposed bill hopes to gain speed by thinking it is helping kids, it needs to focus on taxing something more kids than adults would use.
New Mexico's proposal, which is not the first of its kind, is aimed more at curbing child obesity and bringing them outdoors. Obesity is a problem that needs to be dealt with everywhere, but taxing of electronics and video games is misguided.
The rationale behind the proposal is that although 80 percent of children in New Mexico live within 30 minutes of a state park, only 10 percent have ever visited one. The Sierra Club, the bill's major third-party supporter in New Mexico, believes that video games are connected to poor school performance and obesity in children.
As result, supporting a video game excise tax will help curb child obesity and low test scores by discouraging children - who don't even make up gaming's main demographic - from playing video games. While this is supposed to make things better for everyone, the pieces don't really fit.
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