When you think of Netflix, what pops to mind? “Doctor Who,” streaming or binge watching TV shows when you don’t feel like studying? For the residents of Chicago, a new thought added to the list is “taxes.”
A malevolent scheme has been brooding in the Chicago area for quite some time now, and it involves the oh-so-marvelous idea to place taxes on our precious streaming devotions like Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Prime.
So, if I’m hearing this correctly, Chicago’s government wants to place a tax on the main source of entertainment in one of the world’s largest cities. I wonder how well that will sit in the minds of Chicagoans.
This sounds a lot like when the British placed a tax on sugar to make more money. Well, that ended when we dumped all of their tea into the ocean and had ourselves a tea party. And those hipsters weren’t even well-known rioters.
According to an article from Forbes.com, not only is the mayor of Chicago unaware of how he plans on enforcing this law, the companies he intends to force it on have no clue on how to collect the taxes. And the plot of a new soap opera has arisen!
These streaming services were specifically created with the idea that they would be tax-free. Each service satisfies basic college students with a specific need. Netflix users pay a monthly fee to watch movies while “studying,” Spotify is the essence of our musical existence and Amazon Prime gives us the best reason to buy food online at 2 a.m.
Imagine if, on top of all of that, you had to pay a small fee for every movie you watched, every song you listened to and every episode you had saved to watch later. I shudder at the thought of paying for all of the movies and TV shows I’ve binge-watched over the span of a weekend.
The people of Chicago have already started to take means into their own hands, recently filing a lawsuit against the city. Honestly, who can blame them? Fingers crossed that this debate will conclude with a satisfying season finale.
