New York to tax video games?

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The tax would help fund obesity prevention programs.

According to an Associated Press report, New York state Assemblyman Felix Ortiz has proposed a 1 percent tax increase on video games, junk food, and TV commercials, citing that these things are responsible for the growing obesity problem in New York. Ortiz said that the final proposal may include additional items as well. The money raised from the tax would be used to fund obesity prevention programs and establish additional health programs for schools. However, the proposal's chances of passing appear to be slim since Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said he would not support the tax.

News source: GameSpot

Microsoft has been increasing its share in the handheld OS market, recently signing on major manufacturers such as Dell Computer as hardware partners. More than 30 manufacturers currently use various versions of the Pocket PC operating system in handhelds. The software giant remains the No. 2 player in the market, behind Palm.

The handheld market has seen shipments slide over the last couple of quarters, partly as a result of major player Handspring shifting its focus from handhelds to combination organizer-cell phone devices. But other big names such as Dell and Toshiba, which both use the Pocket PC OS in their devices, are slowly filling the void, according to data from research firm IDC.

In the first quarter, Dell shot up to the No. 4 spot, with 6.5 percent of worldwide shipments, from No. 11, and Toshiba picked up 3.6 percent of the market. Toshiba managed to increase shipments 306 percent in the first quarter from the same period a year ago. Handspring fell in the No. 7 spot, with 2.9 percent.

Magneto, the next version of Microsoft's Pocket PC OS, is expected to include improved phone features, such as more intuitive dialing capabilities, and will likely be more flexible so that it can be used in a wider variety of devices such as appliances.

#1 Fedr0 on 13 Jun 2003 - 11:18

ROTFLMAO!

#2 ripgut on 13 Jun 2003 - 12:07

omfg im glad i live in kaaaaaaali home of the greenz also *hint*

#3 T0Y S0LDIER on 13 Jun 2003 - 12:24

:::Looks for suitcase::: i gotta get out of this state!!

#4 myie2_user on 13 Jun 2003 - 13:16

That is sad there is even a tax needed to help the fat

#5 Tom Servo on 13 Jun 2003 - 13:22

Wow, now you'll have to pay to become a fat ass now. I wonder when they start to tax air.

#6 YaZoR on 13 Jun 2003 - 15:05

hahahahahahaha, you fat overweight mcdonalds eating gamers are gonna have to pay. this is sooooo funny. even funnier than laughing at a fat person.

HAHAHAAAHHAHAHA

#7 niel19_us on 13 Jun 2003 - 16:56

I'm not from new york but let me get this straight, ny'kers will pay 1% extra tax for the people who has nothing to do except being a lazy video game.

This is wrong in so many places.
They became fat by there own lazyness why should regular ny'ker pay for there fat ass's.

#8 stuckwithme247 on 13 Jun 2003 - 20:01

no.

#9 altontowersmania on 13 Jun 2003 - 22:49

True Bean, thats wat i say, UK charges tax on everythin! duno why ur laufin at that

#10 Blaaguuu on 14 Jun 2003 - 00:33

its 1%... thats not very much one the small scale (consumers), but would rake in tons mro cash in the large scale.. why appose ro laugh at this? you would hardly notice a price raise, and "obesity prevention programs and establish additional health programs for schools" are good, right?

you people scare me...

#11 jpcahn on 14 Jun 2003 - 01:36

Anyone who thinks that all or even the majority of this money is going to go to those programs obviously doesn't know government agencies very well. We have a highway here in Atlanta called Georgia 400. They put a toll on it when they first built it to pay for the construction cost. They promised that once it was payed off the tolls would go away. No way in hell did the tolls go away and no way in hell are they gonna go away in the future we are told now. Same with Social Security money we are paying now. That money is going right into the general fund and being used for anything they want. That gravy train is going to run out in maybe 30 to 35 years when more people are collecting SS and we don't have the yearly SS tax income to cover them all.