Philly requiring bloggers to pay $300 for a business license<http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/philly-requiring-bloggers-to-pay-300-for-a-business-license-101264664.html>
As cash strapped cities continue the spiral towards bankruptcy, expect to see them find new ways to empty citizens' pockets. It looks like cash hungry local governments are getting awfully rapacious these days: Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says shes made about $50. To [Marilyn] Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, its a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut. In May, the city sent Bess a letter demanding that she pay $300, the price of a business privilege license. The real kick in the pants is that I dont even have a full-time job, so for the city to tell me to pony up $300 for a business privilege license, pay wage tax, business privilege tax, net profits tax on a handful of money is outrageous, Bess says. It would be one thing if Bess website were, well, an actual business, or if the amount of money the city wanted didnt outpace her earnings six-fold. Sure, the city has its rules; and yes, cash-strapped cities cant very well ignore potential sources of income. But at the same time, there must be some room for discretion and common sense. When Bess pressed her case to officials with the citys now-closed tax amnesty program, she says, I was told to hire an accountant. Shes not alone. After dutifully reporting even the smallest profits on their tax filings this year, a number though no one knows exactly what that number is of Philadelphia bloggers were dispatched letters informing them that they owe $300 for a privilege license, plus taxes on any profits they made. Even if, as with Sean Barry, that profit is $11 over two years. To say that these kinds of draconian measures are detrimental to the public discourse would be an understatement. J - Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny - Thomas Jefferson o ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology-Michael-Dinowitz/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:325733 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
