Freedom Of Speech Under Attack As Philadelphia Becomes First City To Impose A Tax On Blogging
Posted by Alexander Higgins - August 24, 2010 at 11:04 pm - Permalink - Source via Alexander Higgins Blog
Loading ...I just came across this article on The Intel Hub “Philly Blogger Tax Gets Laughs On Web”.
A City Paper story on Philadelphia’s efforts to tax its blogger population is big news on the Internet – and another national joke about our city.
Last Wednesday, a City Paper column talked about Philadelphia’s effort to get revenue from any blogger who lived in its confines, and who attempts to get some money back from selling ads on a blog.
Technically, the city isn’t levying a tax on bloggers. It is charging a $50 annual fee or a $300 lifetime fee for the privilege of putting advertising links on a blog – even if no one clicks on the links.
But to bloggers, the words “blog tax” resonates and is being used to describe the city’s efforts.
But this is nothing to laugh about.
As Fox News 29 Points out:
City Paper spoke with blogger Marilyn Bess, who has made $50 in the past three years on her blog and now faces a $300 bill from the city for a business privilege license.
Affiliate advertising is very popular on the Internet as a way to pay for monthly hosting fees. People who make serious money on blogs pay income taxes and conduct business as any other taxpayer.
Hobbyists like Bess write blogs because they have strong opinions on topics, or just like to write.
But to the city of Philadelphia, there is apparently no distinction if someone intends to make any money on a blog, even if the ads are never clicked or if the blogger just makes a small amount of money.
That got local bloggers riled up and the story spread over the Internet last weekend.
By Monday, Bess’ story made the mainstream newspapers, and by Tuesday, it was on the Associated Press newsfeed and CNN.
The astute New York Magazine even took Philadelphia to task – on its own blog. It urged Philadelphia bloggers to stop blogging so that the city wouldn’t get the license fees.
Ironically, the city may be finding out about bloggers because they are reporting their tiny income on tax forms.
So far, it doesn’t look like Philadelphia will change its stance.
Many bloggers begin their ventures trying to blog about the topics they are passionate about and can only dream about making any serious revenues from any advertising program on their web sites..
In fact such low revenue such as the $50 Marilyn Bess made over past three years is the norm and not the exception which begs the question why is the tax being imposed on bloggers and not all Philadelphia websites who display ads?
The bottom line is the tax is a direct threat to the freedom of speech.
During the days of the gold rush the fact is most miners made no money and it was companies like Levis who sold materials to the miners that where the ones that became rich.
This is very similar in the fact that many people and businesses go online to try to get their share of the pie only to find out that there is really no money to be made.
But is that stopping the Government from trying to get their share of revenue? Not at all.
While scammers run ponzi schemes and the latest get rich quick schemes and harvest your personal information for resale to the highest bidder the Government is going after those crooks for tax dollars but instead has set its cross hairs on those trying to exercise their constitutional rights.
This is really absurd and is nothing to laugh over.
The truth is that blogoshpere has exploded because less than 1 in 4 people believe the lies that come out of the mainstream media.
Pick your average person and talk to them about the media and most agree the news is spun for a variety of special interests and the good old days of investigative journalism has outright disappeared.
Where the media fails bloggers such as my self and other alternative news outlets fill the void and in my opinion this is nothing more than a move to silence those voices.
This tax will undoubtedly prevent thousands who come up with the idea of starting a blog to see if money can be made from ever even trying in the first place because $300 dollars is a lot of money for many people.
Instead their voices will be silenced, their opinions will never be heard and their knowledge never shared.
This needs to be stopped right here and right now before it becomes the status quo all across the nation.
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are they going to do the same for people who put their opinions in newspapers or on the talk radio?
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The real goal of taxation is slightly different from what you’re saying, Alex. I will explain why:
First let’s analyze the user groups. There are basically two different kinds of users: the Mass Bloggers (MBs) who rely on free services like Blogspot.com and the Independent Bloggers (IBs) which own webhosts and servers themselves.
Real premium content is often provided by independent bloggers who are well informed and determined to resist any form of censorship, while MBs tend to spread the information by copying and reposting the content. They play an important role in relinking the IBs and increasing google results. On the other hand MBs attract a smaller number of readers and free hosting offer low censorship protection.
So which role do web ads play for bloggers?Blog expenses are often low and most of them are partly refinanced through web ads. Even if you earn just $10 a month, web ads can still be used to pay for domains or cheap webhosts. In other words, they are a vital source for independent bloggers.
Now let’s say a big company like BP wants to remove a blog like Alexaderhiggins.com If the blog was owned by a MB, they can easily contact the blog provider e.g. Blogspot.com and ask for a number of deletion in exchange for a well paying advertisement banner.
Because Blogspot.com has tens of million users, it can afford to lose a few non paying users and the anonymous MB can create a new blog somewhere else. But if the author is an IB that’s a whole different matter. In opposition to Blogspot.com real webhosting companies like Dreamhost earn their money through annual hosting plans. Therefor they have a high interest in keeping their customers happy. If words gets out that they are deleting users as a favor for big companies, they will lose more money in the long run than it’s worth. In other words the MBs can’t resist censorship but remain anonymous and the IBs are less anonymous but their hosts resist censorship. So how can you solve this mess? Believe it or not through taxation!
If taxation will be imposed on bloggers, every blogger using ads to refinance his site will be easily traced through his PUBLIC TAX ID. This means that the identity of every Independent Blogger will be revealed as soon as he uses google ads or other American ad companies. What if you are a Mass Blogger and use Blogspot.com? If your state imposes taxation, you will be required by law to register with a copy of your ID or passport!
Taxation practically indexes all independent bloggers and destroys the base of anonymity on which blogging and amateur journalism is based on. It also sets the legal environment for tougher standards for internet censorship. Before – ip records were only used to trace criminals. But with taxation every blogger can be suspected of TAX FRAUD! That’s ridiculous!
This is the moment when a virtual threat becomes very reality. If it’s known who Alexander Higgins TAX ID is known, it becomes possible for the gov. to find out not only your real name, but also your address and bank account! You will be forced to decide if your journalistic activities are worth your personal risk and whether your family will suffer under the implications of your virtual activities.
In other words taxation is a very efficient censorship measure.
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I agree entirely.
Censorship = Violation Of Freedom Of Speech
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[...] Churnalism travels fast, especially in silly season. Stories about a supposed new tax on bloggers in Philadelphia have bounced round the US media, with buzzphrase “Philly blog tax” appearing everywhere from CNN to New York Magazine. “Philly wants to tax bloggers”, said Gawker. “How does a financially strapped city [...] make a little cash? Tax the bloggers,” said the New York Daily News. “Freedom of speech under attack as Philadelphia becomes First City To Impose A Tax On blogging” reads one local blog headline. [...]
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[...] Churnalism travels fast, especially in silly season. Stories about a supposed new tax on bloggers in Philadelphia have bounced round the US media, with buzzphrase “Philly blog tax” appearing everywhere from CNN to New York Magazine. “Philly wants to tax bloggers”, said Gawker. “How does a financially strapped city [...] make a little cash? Tax the bloggers,” said the New York Daily News. “Freedom of speech under attack as Philadelphia becomes First City To Impose A Tax On blogging” reads one local blog headline. [...]
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[...] Churnalism travels fast, especially in silly season. Stories about a supposed new tax on bloggers in Philadelphia have bounced round the US media, with buzzphrase “Philly blog tax” appearing everywhere from CNN to New York Magazine. “Philly wants to tax bloggers”, said Gawker. “How does a financially strapped city [...] make a little cash? Tax the bloggers,” said the New York Daily News. “Freedom of speech under attack as Philadelphia becomes First City To Impose A Tax On blogging” reads one local blog headline. [...]
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[...] Churnalism travels fast, especially in silly season. Stories about a supposed new tax on bloggers in Philadelphia have bounced round the US media, with buzzphrase “Philly blog tax” appearing everywhere from CNN to New York Magazine. “Philly wants to tax bloggers”, said Gawker. “How does a financially strapped city [...] make a little cash? Tax the bloggers,” said the New York Daily News. “Freedom of speech under attack as Philadelphia becomes First City To Impose A Tax On blogging” reads one local blog headline. [...]
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[...] Churnalism travels fast, especially in silly season. Stories about a supposed new tax on bloggers in Philadelphia have bounced round the US media, with buzzphrase “Philly blog tax” appearing everywhere from CNN to New York Magazine. “Philly wants to tax bloggers”, said Gawker. “How does a financially strapped city [...] make a little cash? Tax the bloggers,” said the New York Daily News. “Freedom of speech under attack as Philadelphia becomes First City To Impose A Tax On blogging” reads one local blog headline. [...]
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[...] "Freedom of speech under attack as Philadelphia becomes First City To Impose A Tax On blogging" reads one local blog headline.But there is no blog tax. Philadelphia levies a licence fee on small businesses, which is no more a [...]
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[...] and the registration fee of $50/year or $300/lifetime isn’t extravagant. And, unlike some who are calling this a “blogging tax,” the fact is that existing small business licensing and income tax provisions are being applied to [...]
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[...] of the Gulf Coast Trust for Payback? The Federal Government Or The State Court System?Anonymous on Freedom Of Speech Under Attack As Philadelphia Becomes First City To Impose A Tax On BloggingFurther [...]
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They are now taxing people for opinions? Dont we already pay for internet? and websites? those payments are taxed…
So should I get charged for writing this? At what point is the blogger threshold?
(I enjoy your coverage of japan radiation btw (alex ftw).