Did you guys hear about this?? The city of Philadelphia is requiring bloggers to pay a business license fee, even if the bloggers do not make a profit. Unbelievable!
According to the news story, the city government is charging bloggers a $300 licensing fee, on top of a bunch of other fees: a business privilege license, a pay wage tax, a business privilege tax, and a net profits tax.
:blink:
This is insane. Really. I’m flabbergasted. The justification behind this is because cities are “cash strapped.” Huh? Just because politicians spend more of OUR money than they take in does not give them license to slam us with fees. ??? I’d like to see some politicians get some fees. How about a fee to practice politics, huh? That’s a business, a pretty big business. How about a Lie Tax? If a politician had to pay a dollar every time he told a lie, the deficit would disappear in a matter of days!
What do you think? Do you think a city government is justified in charging bloggers fees? And how about blog anonymity? Some bloggers use their real identity, while others use pen names or a different identity. How could a city determine who is who?
It’s getting crazy out there, folks….
A great poster from Despair.com
Life is never dull, and exciting things just seem to always happen to me... why me... when I'm not running around the house fixing things, I'm a freelance writer for national media outlets like USAToday.com, Salon.com, and others. I've even been interviewed by TIME and The Wall Street Journal about blogging. Can you believe it?! Here is where I express my zany, creative, motherly side. 
August 25, 2010 at 10:02 am
Further signs of government run amok. As Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the solution to the problem. Government is the problem.” It has never been more true than it is today when zealots seek to impose failed ideologies on an unwilling population. [Rant off]
August 25, 2010 at 10:09 am
I loved Ronald Reagan.
August 25, 2010 at 9:01 pm
What if you blog to just write?? I have one ad for my cousin-and she doesn’t pay me because, well, she’s my cousin. That is just awful!!
August 25, 2010 at 9:19 pm
In another story I saw, the city did not care if you only blogged to write casually. They still charged for a business license!
I think that government, overall, does not like Americans working independently (self-employed). Look at how the tax system penalizes the small business person. With the passage of “Obamacare” and other bills, it’s going to get more and more difficult to be self-employed. Eventually, if this present course continues, there will be only two classes in America: the corporate employer, and the employee. It’s a very frightening thought!
August 27, 2010 at 3:54 am
Sounds like we’re bordering on a violation of Freedom of Speech to me. I mean, say I am a homeless person, or a single mom with not a penny to spare, or otherwise cannot afford $300.. my only connection to the world through a blog written at the local library, should I be silenced? Extreme example, but still.. pay or we won’t let you use the FREE internet sounds illegal.
August 27, 2010 at 11:15 am
Actually the only bloggers that received notice were those that had any paid ads on their blog, or that reported a business expense for their blog (such as hosting, etc.). These people are actually, but most US state, city and county laws REQUIRED to get a business license if they are running a business from their home. Now, if they can show that the person paying isn’t local, they don’t have to pay taxes (in most cases), but over all, what is happening isn’t government running a muck, although in general the US governments are in most cases, but a process that these people should have been doing anyway!
August 27, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Don, I disagree. Bloggers should not have to pay for a business license. Shall people who sell on eBay regularly and those who sell on Etsy pay for a license? You’ve probably heard news reports of governments slamming little kids with license fees for running lemonade stands… there comes a time when enough is enough. For what purpose does a blogger business license serve, other than to create more cash for governments? We no longer have government by the people, of the people, for the people. Nowadays, it’s the people for the government, by the government, of the government. Enough is enough.
August 27, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Yes, those that sell on eBay are supposed to have a business license in their county/city/state if required by that area. I’m not saying I agree with it, which I don’t, I’m saying that is the law. If you have a business, and your blog is part of that business, you are supposed to have a business license according to the current laws.
I agree, we no longer have a government by the people, of the people, and for the people. We need to change that, but I hear a lot of talk about it, and see little action in that regard.
August 31, 2010 at 12:49 pm
It’s insanity. Pure over-governating insanity. (and that isn’t a word, but I’m sticking with it, hah)