Wisconsin To Tax Digital Downloads

I call bullsh*t. This just shows how incredibly indebt our government is. They see the huge profit of the Internet market and just have to tax it.

Thanks for not saying First beast. Whoever you are.

Damn Taxes on EVERYTHING!

Way to put Wisconsin at a disadvantage, guys. Considering that most digital download companies are physically located in other states (or even other countries!) there's no way in hell they're going to be able to collect these taxes. All they're doing is adding even more incentive for technology companies to avoid setting up in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin hasn't had decent leadership since Thompson left for Washington. Bring back Tommy Thompson!

How is this supposed to work? I hope I don't get a message saying "OH before you download this, you must pay this much.", everytime I download a game. We should BOYCOT if this gets to every state.

Looking specifically at Wiiware and VC games, haven't you already paid tax when you've brought Wii points in the first place?!

I'm with gaz- Nintendo's already taxing us for Wii points. Will this cause an additional tax??

This is crazy....
Well, sence i don't live in Wisconsin so i guess i don't have to worry

@WiiGuy:
Trust me, if this works, other states will do it, too. It's pretty much a way for the state to make FREE money without providing any service whatsoever.

I hope this crashes and burns fast so it doesn't set a precedent. BOO.

@Burtus
Well, I guess we'll sign a petition to do away with it...thats the best we can do.

This is crazy.

I dont live in Wisonsin, but all the other gamers in my family do

@gaz_4578-If you buy them in store. If you buy them via credit card, then they're tax free as of now. So 2000 pts is $20 plus sales tax in store or $20 via credit card.

Well, I'll give 'em this. It's a smart idea to basically nab free money. It still sucks though.

@Objection_Blaster - Nintendo does collect tax through online sales. No idea what they do with it, but they do collect tax.

Way to go...
At least I don't live in Wisconsin.

This was bound to happen. I was actually surprised there was no tax the very first time I downloaded a game. This is fantastic news on top of the California sales tax going up.

@RagingShadow
Could you possibly be Shadowpower7? Thought you didn't like commenting. Unless I have the wrong person.

@thewiirocks:
Not sure what you mean by "Nintendo collects tax through online sales," but OB is right. 2000 points is advertised in the shop channel as costing $20, and that's exactly the amount the buyer is billed. No additional fee is added.

What else is new, our government is always looking for a way to grab free money. Just like how the state of Connecticut has expanded the retarded bottle bill to include water bottles now. Either way, when you want to play, you have to pay.

@Chicken Brutus - Interesting. When I purchase Wii Points, I have to pay tax. (IL) I asked Google and came up with this forum dicussion:

Sales tax on Wii Points

Seems that where you are in the states makes a difference...

@thewiirocks

2nd-ed. i'm taxed in IL when purchasing directly from the wiishop channel.

@thewiirocks:
Ouch! That sucks! I guess I should consider myself lucky...

This would only effect a minuscule amount of console gamers and a minority of PC gamers...

i'm in ohio, and when i buy wii points with a credit card directly from my wii, it costs me $21.95 for 2000 points.

unfortunate winds, maybe I should get a credit card from a state that doesn't charge sales tax

I'm charged tax too. Boo, Tennessee.

@vherub: Good idea.

Ah, yeah I was speaking only for myself. I know that some are already taxed.

I live in Indiana and when I buy points there is no tax on them. They are actually, for once, exactly $19.99. Guess you should move to Indy then!

@beastman93

Why I have no idea what you are talking about.

That won't work on the Wii for several reasons:

1.) Nintendo won't raise prices afterwards (although Nintendo could just reduce their profit to pay the taces)
2.) You can easily change regions or countries, so if not whole Europe and Australia or all the NoA countries ask for the same % of taxes, Gamers will just switch to Canada or Austria or whatever...

@ Ian Daemon:
Yes, right now it affects only a small amount of customers. But if the download tax gets established as a precedent, especially in this economic climate, it can very easily be adopted by any other state who cares to do so.

@Bensei:
You realize Nintendo isn't getting taxed, right? The buyer is. It's just like any other kind of tax. If there's a 6% tax on bread and the bread costs $1, you pay $1.06 for the bread. The bread company doesn't cover the tax for you, so Nintendo is not going to raise their prices. They are still collecting the same amount for every download.

The price of a civilized society are taxes. They have to come from somewhere if we, as a society, want roads, schools etc. Here's the outrage: Wisconsin banks are able to move their profits to Nevada "branch offices" to avoid taxes. It's legal, but we chumps pick up the tab on that.

@Sycoraxic:
"The price of a civilized society are taxes."

...which we already pay. I don't mind paying income tax because it goes--potentially--to helpful federal programs and social security, both of which benefit me. I don't mind paying tolls on the highway because I like having well-maintained roads. I don't mind paying state sales tax because I like living in a clean, safe area with good schools and a police department.

But the download tax provides us with no additional service whatsoever. We're not buying anything from the government; we're buying from a private corporation. The government has nothing to do with the service, and is instead just reaching in to grab free money.

They want us to pay more taxes? Fine. Offer us a service and ask us to pay for it. Don't just stick a mysterious hand into a service we already pay for and expect us to gladly turn over more money for no conceivable benefit whatsoever.