As part of their plans to modernise the state's tax code, North Carolina legislators are considering introducing digital download tax charges.
According to reports, such a measure could increase revenue by up to $12m, which in perspective to the state's current $20bn budget deficit, is a nominal amount. Items, including music, movies and video games, would all be affected by the changes, which Rep. Paul Luebke thinks is justified:
"We used to think of everything in terms of being tangible. Nobody thought of how you could possibly download anything. So if you buy a book in a bookstore, you're going to have to pay sales tax on it. If you're downloading a book from a book seller, you should have to pay sales tax on that as well."
North Carolina isn't the only state considering such tax amendments. Last month, New York officials confirmed a proposition to introduce an 'iPod tax' was being contemplated. These reports only demonstrate that it's not just the private sector that has been hit hard by the deepening recession.
31 Comments - Add comment