A ringtone tax?

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on January 27, 2009 - 11:37am.
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The taxman is coming for iTunes and ringtones.

The legislature's joint Revenue Laws committee approved a bill Tuesday morning that would tax ringtones, music downloads, software and other material delivered electronically, Mark Johnson reports.

The bill is intended to equally tax the electronic version of products that are taxed when sold in a tangible form, such as a compact disc.

Brooks Raiford, president of the N.C. Technology Association, cautioned against singling out the tech sector for new taxes during a downturn.

Raiford, whose group represents primarily high-tech businesses, emphasized that digital products avoid packaging and other byproducts that affect the environment.

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Re: A ringtone tax?

Submitted by concerned_citizen on January 28, 2009 - 6:59pm.

I do think they should consider the green value of not having a bunch of packaging etc that would end up in a landfill (at local, not state, cost). In fact if they HAVE to raise taxes, I like the idea of doing it on less-green things to encourage us all to do more.

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Re: A ringtone tax?

Submitted by domewatcher on January 27, 2009 - 12:19pm.

A tax on music downloads. This is bad news. I was just about ready to give up "illegal downloads" and start buying them legitimately. This tax may keep some of us in a life of crime!

But I am impressed that our legislators know about ringtones and music downloads. That's probably a good sign. Hopefully they will find out that Elvis is dead.

I read where Gov. Arnold is proposing to tax a round of golf. If music downloads get taxed then a round of golf is not far off.

These new taxes are really needed........because there is nothing in the budget that is not absolutely necessary, cost efficient and fundamentally sound.

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