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Comic for: December 5th, 2006
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Gaming News: "Of Gold and Taxes"
Posted: Tuesday December 5th, 2006 by

Some experts believe that taxation of virtual goods acquired while gaming, whether they are sold for real world cash or not, is innevitable. A supposed value assigned to ingame items, because of the law-bending practices of virtual merchants, could very well become subject to congressional oversight and revised IRS tax policy.
Source: GameSpot [ more info ]
When I read the source article cited above, it made me physically nauseous. I am so sick and tired of money-grubbing jackasses stomping around with their hands out because of some deep-seated sense of entitlement. Movie studios want "their end" of every movie watched in our homes, above what we already pay to rent or buy DVDs, because more than one person might be sitting in front of the screen. Music companies want their "share" of any piece of music transmitted digitally because it MIGHT be burned and shared. And now the government looks at the potential to shove their dirty little fingers further into our pockets, dollar sign eyes glazed over with money lust, drooling over the precedent of asigning taxable value to non-existent virtual goods.

As far fetched as the comic seems, how far away from the truth is it really? If some smacktard out there decided that Park Place and Broadway had a real world value and started selling the cards online, how long would it be before and oversight committee started wringing their pirate hooks over the notion of taxing the funds I generated by having all four railroads?

Alright, alright. So, I might be overreacting because I'm ridiculously biased. But I'm okay with that. Even hinting that we might be taxed for virtual goods should make every single one of us boiling hot with barely tethered rage. The notion should leave you seething. And all because some chucklenuts decided to break the EULA and sell plat for real world cash.

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This Thread has been Nerfed

I had to edit (and in some cases remove) a lot of posts in this thread as they flew in the face of the rules that govern these forums. If you find your post has been editted, removed, or has blue text in it, then consider yourself warned. Your subsequent posts in this thread will be subject to more intense scrutiny that could get your account suspended until such time as this thread falls from public view.

I realize my initial writeup is inflamatory. But it is intentionally so, to get you fired up about the issue of virtual goods potentially becoming taxable. That does not mean however that you can treat other posters in this thread in a manner that is not supported by the Easy Ways.

I encourage you to express your views. But, do so in a way that reflects positively on your ability to communicate. Otherwise, don't bother posting.

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