How does a financially strapped city with a shrinking manufacturing base and rising unemployment attempt to make a little extra cash?
Tax the bloggers.
The city is demanding that bloggers pay $300 for a business license, whether or not the blog brings in a fraction of that amount in profit, according to the Philadelphia City Paper.
Marilyn Bess blogs about eco-friendly living in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. She occasionally contributes to the DIY site eHow.com. Her profit in the last few years - $50.
She told the City Paper that she received a letter from the city in May, demanding the $300 for a "business privilege license."
According to the city's website, every individual, partnership, association and corporation engaged in a business, profession or other activity for profit within the City of Philadelphia must file a Business Privilege Tax Return.
Whether the blog earns a profit does not matter.
Andrea Mannino of the Philadelphia Department of Revenue, told the City Paper that by choosing the option to make money from ads — regardless of how much or little money is actually generated — qualifies a blog as a business.
"It sounds ridiculous," blog and social media author Debbie Weil told the Daily News. "Does the city have the resources to go after every blogger? I'm not sure they understand the difference between blogging for business and personal satisfaction."
These business privilege taxes and licenses are far from popular in Philadelphia. Smaller vendors have been crying foul about the city randomly cracking down on licenses and fees.
Many Philadelphians who didn't know that they owed taxes on their unprofitable blogs missed out on tax amnesty offered back in the spring.
Still, not all bloggers are concerned with rushing to print out new tax forms. Many didn't even know about it until it was reported on Monday.
"It wouldn't affect me in the least,” says Mike Meech, author of the Phillies blog Fightins.com. "I write under a pseudonym so they'd be sending a $300 bill to a fictitious name."
Source: NY Daily News
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