The state of Pennsylvania has introduced a new bill that, if passed, would require an additional tax on violent video games. The tax would cause consumers to pay 10% more on titles with an ESRB rating of M or higher. Named “House Bill 109,” any tax collected from the sale of Mature or Adult-Only rated games will go into a fund called the “Digital Protection for School Safety Account.”
The fun will look to help bolster and encourage safe learning environments in the wake of tragic school shootings in Parkland, Florida and Newtown, Connecticut. Chris Quinn, Pennsylvania’s representative, proposed this bill in 2018 but the bill never made it past the committee. This newly proposed bill is, essentially, the same as the 2018 version.
This 10% tax would be an additional tax to state and local taxes, which is already set at 6% for the state. Under these normal taxes, a $60 game would, roughly, end up costing you $63.60 but with the additional tax in play, it would cost nearly $70 to purchase it.
The belief is that violent video games are still one of the root causes of school violence, thus bringing this age-old discussion back into the limelight. Quinn does fail to mention any other factors for aggressive behavior such as mental illness, easy access to weaponry, and/or adverse living environments that are not conducive for a healthy upbringing.
Regardless of the tax or not, the debate still rolls on in 2019.
