Do You Like to Download From iTunes? Then Don't Move to Illinois!

[Michael Essany]

The tax man is coming! The tax man is coming!

Apparently, one of the last remaining frontiers not totally subjected to government taxation and oversight is now on the radar of lawmakers in Illinois. Because of the state’s $13 billion budget shortfall, iPhone, iPod, and iPad owners who download content from iTunes are essentially being targeted to help Illinois recover from economic hardship.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has a plan that involves taxing Illinois citizens every time they download a song or movie either to their computers or, more likely, to their mobile Apple device. While several other states have tinkered with similar plans, Illinois could effectively implement sales tax on all digital downloads.

For the time being, the Illinois state sales tax is 6.25%. What would that mean for your downloads? Here's how the simple numbers add up. If the tax plan comes to fruition, anyone - for example - who downloads an album from iTunes for $10 will have to cough up another 62 cents in tax. Of course, if you're an avid movie downloader, be ready to cough up even more, since many top-notch flicks run $15. Governor Quinn's logic? It's time for taxing policies to catch up with technology.

Needless to say, not a whole lot of Illinois residents have spoken in favor of the proposal, which according to the Gov., would merely generate an extra $7 million per year for the state. That will only leave the state with a budget shortfall of $12,993,000,000. Sounds like a great idea (insert sarcasm here).

Image via AP

[madczech]

taxes and prices like in switzerland!

[mytran80]

i live in illinois ,sales taxes are 10.5 % in my area , this is not good since everywhere i go or do im being taxed

[kraziebone]

This is a horrible idea. Pirating movies and music is already a notorious problem. Please don't incentivize it even more by punishing the few of us left who actually pay for our media

[purpl3_bug]

Watch how many P2P program will be downloaded if this goes in affect. This will give another reason to download music from limewire and movies from torrent sites.

[ygeffens]

i live in illinois ,sales taxes are 10.5 % in my area , this is not good since everywhere i go or do im being taxed

Lucky you !
Belgium:21%

[SchmilK]

i live in illinois ,sales taxes are 10.5 % in my area , this is not good since everywhere i go or do im being taxed

shout out to chicago! im from the north eastest corner of illinois before you are in wisconsin

the STATE sales tax is 6.5% but each town/county/city gets jealous and adds on to that so they can make money at the same time...which is why chicago is so high.

This is fuct...those idiots that run the city/state got us in the negative, make those fat cats pay the price. Why should we get punished. I heard on the radio last night coming home from work that we already are near a 60% loss in wages after you add up all of the taxes we pay for everything.

**** look at cigarettes in chicago... a pack starts ate $4 or something, then after all the taxes you are up to $9 *granted I haven't bought a pack in over a year...and even then i would NEVER buy them in Chicago/Cook County.

USA is in trouble

[rkswat]

Sorry but people here in the US are a bunch of freakin babies. They want top quality schools for their kids but refuse to be taxed to pay for it. They want quality public transportation but again don't want to pay for it. Don't some of you understand that one is based off the other. IF you are taxed more for education, more kids will graduate, go to college and get better paying jobs which in turn increases the tax base and so forth and so on. Americans whine about taxes right as the whine about how crappy gov run programs are. Gotta pay to play folks.
(kinda like the tea bagger that is wearing a don't tax me shirt while she's holding a "don't touch my medicare" sign.)

[Khürt]

In most states, including my state of New Jersey, iTunes purchases have always been taxed. Doesn't Illinois tax music purchased in Best Buy or Walmart? In NJ, everything is taxed - except for food , clothing, and books.

[whereswaldo]

6.25% tax? in ontario the tax is 13%, and starting july 1 they are taxing everything, and they say our national healthcare is free

[QWood13]

rkswat you don't effing know Americans. We are supposed to be in control of our government, and look at how in the hell they treat us, it is NOT fair. Americans do not care for top quality schools. If you want a top quality school, you carry your *** to a private school. So watch your mouth. Being taxed on music and videos is ridiculous. And we complain about NATIONAL taxes. Public schools are the STATE'S business

[hollow0]

rkswat you don't effing know Americans. We are supposed to be in control of our government, and look at how in the hell they treat us, it is NOT fair. Americans do not care for top quality schools. If you want a top quality school, you carry your *** to a private school. So watch your mouth. Being taxed on music and videos is ridiculous. And we complain about NATIONAL taxes. Public schools are the STATE'S business

Actually he's partially right. Americans are babies. Like he said if you want to play you have to pay. I don't necessarily like the idea of being taxed for iTunes but in other matters you can clearly see how U.S. Americans complain about things that are wrong but don't want to pay to fix it. And you if think that we US citizens are supposed to be in control of our government then you are so sadly mistaken. We don't control anything.

[bcastro]

i live in the burbs of Chicago...this is sooo not cool!!!

[mikerlx]

Think the plan was rejected-moving on

[stfudvs]

qwood13 + 1

@rkswat, I think you have it wrong, most Americans understand we need taxes, it's obvious, but we want our taxes to be used with controll. but the fiscal controll on capital hill isn't there! the us goverment gas proven they are NOT trustworthy with our money, and that goes for both parties! use our money properly or give us a flat fair tax!

[Imsorussian]

Wow a whole 7mil to cover 13 billion budget gap? Great idea. Every day im amazed how these moraly bankrupt politicians get elected. Ohh yes forgot they get elected by thesame idiots that voted twice for bush. Mission acomplished

[slick6932]

Actually he's partially right. Americans are babies. Like he said if you want to play you have to pay. I don't necessarily like the idea of being taxed for iTunes but in other matters you can clearly see how U.S. Americans complain about things that are wrong but don't want to pay to fix it. And you if think that we US citizens are supposed to be in control of our government then you are so sadly mistaken. We don't control anything.

Correction, this generation of Americans are babies. You can thank the tree huggin hippies for that. Nobody has any balls anymore.

As for taxing iTunes, that ridiculous. Obama is already taxing every possible thing in sight. All the more reason to download music illegaly.

[risingkazuya05]

I live here in Seattle. 9.5% tax

[wolverinemarky]

Sorry but people here in the US are a bunch of freakin babies. They want top quality schools for their kids but refuse to be taxed to pay for it. They want quality public transportation but again don't want to pay for it. Don't some of you understand that one is based off the other. IF you are taxed more for education, more kids will graduate, go to college and get better paying jobs which in turn increases the tax base and so forth and so on. Americans whine about taxes right as the whine about how crappy gov run programs are. Gotta pay to play folks.
(kinda like the tea bagger that is wearing a don't tax me shirt while she's holding a "don't touch my medicare" sign.)

i agree with u this is the real problem with the country no one wants to pay for anything but get pissed when the govt has to borrow money cause no one wants to pay for the stuff we need. i dont want to pay more for downloads either or internet purchases but i would like my kids to one day go to a good school not falling apart, or roads and bridges falling down around me.

Ok enough whining lets hear more about that iPhone

[chuckiecheese]

rkswat you don't effing know Americans. We are supposed to be in control of our government, and look at how in the hell they treat us, it is NOT fair. Americans do not care for top quality schools. If you want a top quality school, you carry your *** to a private school. So watch your mouth. Being taxed on music and videos is ridiculous. And we complain about NATIONAL taxes. Public schools are the STATE'S business

Do you live under a rock? How do you figure that we control the government? They own us...Our country is in major debt and when we are born, we were born into debt...Debt = Slavery...you go to college and then you come out in debt. You finance a car, guess what you are in debt. You get a mortage on a house then you are in debt until you retire. Its a viscious cycle and you will be in debt for the rest of your life thanks to the IRS, the Federal Reserve, and the most invisible price increase....INFLATION!

Anyway, this isn't new news, I live in NY and I have been paying close to 9% on all my iTunes purchases...