Texas Politician Wants Violent Games Tax

Gamepolitics reports that a candidate for the Governor of Texas would pass a violent games tax if elected. From the article: "The Amarillo Globe News is reporting that Republican gubernatorial candidate Star Locke wants to scrap Texas' current property tax system. Instead, Locke would institute new taxes on abortion providers, soft drinks, and violent video games to fund the state's government. Locke, a rancher and builder from Corpus Christi, favors a 50% tax on violent games, as well as a $10,000 tax per abortion and a 10% levy on sweetened soft drinks."

Cheap publicity stunt

[faloi]

There's no way this sort of thing would pass. Texas is in the midst of some funding issues/scandals. And considering I live in Texas and this is the first I've heard of this guy, this is a cheap way to get some publicity for his campaign. Either that or I need to pay more attention to local politics.

bullets

[gEvil (beta)]

What's the current tax per bullet and what's his recommended one?

Insane

[Antony-Kyre]

It sounds like he wants to eliminate the taxes he pays and create "extreme" sin taxes.

The 50% tax on violent video games would get declared unconstitutional most likely. It would be an infringement on freedom or speech (censorship on what the government "thinks" is violent) probably.

Would they even have the state constitutional authority tax put a flat fee tax on abortions? I'm not a lawyer, but I feel something would come up that would overturn that kind of tax.

We have something like the soft drink tax in Washington state, but it's at it's normal sales tax rate. Food items hear, most of them, and when not in a serving environment, don't get sales tax.

There are ways to get rid property taxes. Create a luxury sales tax. Have the sales tax only affect purchases the rich can afford. Electronics over $5k for example. Vehicles over $50k. Anything classified as a yacht. Property purchases (i.e. land) exceeding $1 million.

Christ, people, he's from Corpus!

[timster]

Corpus Christi is literally the boondocks. Plenty of Texas politicians say stupid things, but this guy doesn't even have a remote chance of being elected. Calling him a "candidate" is extremely far-fetched.

Anybody can spout nonsense; this guy doesn't have the support of any significant number of Texans, so it's silly to use him as an example of modern Texan politics.

Greater Effects

[sc0ttyb]

I wonder if this guy realizes just how many game development houses are currently based in Texas. Taxing violent games into oblivion would most likely force a lot of these developers to relocate, thus losing directly and indirectly associated jobs, future investment, and well, it's just a dick thing to do.

I bet this'll go over really, really well. Lmaonade.

I can't express how much this pisses me off.

[Xiver]

I'm a very conservative guy, in fact I'm 33 year old software developing, video game playing, gun toting, SUV driving, soda drinking, Jesus freak with a black belt, three daughters, a wife, and a mortgage who would like nothing more than peace on earth in my lifetime. I've played 'violent' video games since there were 'violent' video games. I don't really care for the Grand Theft Auto type of video games, but I've played a couple of them and I don't think I've been warped. I can understand people's frustration with that type of game because it glorifies crime, but guess what, so do %80 of the movies that come out of Hollywood. Almost all video games could be considered violent. Look at Pacman, that weird yellow cannibal that runs around eating 'power pellets' to make him powerful enough to kill the 'ghosts'. Just because someone enjoys playing FPS's, MMORPGs, or other violent games does not mean that they are going to pick up a gun and go on a rampage for laughs. This guy is clueless.

          Property taxes in Texas are a little ridiculous, but my daughters will receive a much better public education than I did because of them. If he really wants to do something good for Texas he would be proposing that the borders be properly patrolled. Maybe he should tax illegal immigration. He certainly won't get my vote or any of the other 'conservative' people that I know.

sell game PG, free M download

[davidwr]

PG-rated game, $60 + normal sales tax. = $65
M-rated free mod: $0 + 50% violent game tax = $0
Total cost: $65
Taxes: $5

Showy piety correlates with simple-mindedness

[ianscot]

Ah, there is the epitome of sustainable government taxation: tax things you want to destroy.

In general, don't you find that conspicuously pious posturing and an inability to think through consequences go hand in hand?

Seriously. This guy is probably a so-called "small government" conservative, too, but he has no problem with the idea of government regulating which video games are violent, and which aren't quite violent enough, to require his new tax.

At least with tobacco and alcohol, which are the classic models for this, you can make the case that the tax money partly addresses problems created by the "sin" in question. Don't even get me started on the abortion side of this. That's unreal. (If you're pro-life, do you really want an idiot like this on your side? Work on Roe V. Wade, whatever, but a $10,000 tax? That's just dumb, and would be about as legal as Jim Crow poll taxes.)

The problem's with the folks what elected this bumpkin. Note to American voters: if you're looking for a good, decent person to hold office, try finding someone who actually struggles with moral questions, rather than someone who claims they're easy to decided on for reasons of religious faith or whatever. People who think moral questions are easy are either a) of Godlike divinity; or b) on the wrong side of those questions, but wearing a nice white robe because it gets them power. And I'm fairly sure this guy isn't divine.

Re: Kinky Texan

[Reverend Darkness]

He supports the student's right to pray in school and/or be part of an organized group for the purpose of worship and prayer.

Currently there are movements to completely ban any and all reference to any and all religion from public schools, while others are trying to get 'intelligent design' included in the curriculum. I personally think that they are both wrong.

Prayer and religion (or lack thereof) should be up to the student, not up to the school.