We have seen it coming. We have seen it coming in a number of ways. It, is our local municipalities, and their thirst for dollars. Cities and towns are hurting for money, and in some cases bankrupt http://www.businessinsider.com/americas-most-bankrupt-cities-2010-4. The answer for government officials, is to find money where they can find it, and find it they will.
This isn't just police officers writing more tickets. There are the red light cameras. Your utility bills are packing an extra punch these days. Parking tickets are crazy. And lets not even get in to the nightmare costs if your car is towed.
Well now, the blogosphere may be a revenue generator. The city of Philadelphia is requiring bloggers to have a license. That license comes with a $300 price tag. A recent article in the Washington Examiner highlights Marilyn Bess, who runs a website and frequently contributes to Ehow.com. Ms. Bess isn't too pleased about this attempt to charge her, for what looks to be little more than a hobby.
“The real kick in the pants is that I don’t 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.
Ms. Bess has made approximately $50 from blogging. So if my math is correct, the license will cost her six times her revenue. Maybe they will let her write off her computer, website costs and office.
So perhaps I'm being a bit facetious, implying that municipalities will charge real estate professionals for the privilege of blogging. After all, Philadelphia is in pretty bad shape, and not every city or town is under water. But it is interesting that a local government feels comfortable sending out a bill for a license, plus a cut of any profit.
A link to Mark Hemingway's attention grabbing article:
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