25 August 2010

Philadelphia wants bloggers to pay for a license

As reported by Yglesias:
For the past three years, Marilyn Bess has operated MS Philly Organic, a small, low-traffic blog that features occasional posts about green living, out of her Manayunk home. Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says she’s made about $50. To Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, it’s a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut.

In May, the city sent Bess a letter demanding that she pay $300, the price of a business privilege license.
Over the past almost-three years, TYWKIWDBI has generated an income of two t-shirts and one box of candy.  I don't think licensure will be required for me.

Update:  Philadelphia protests that it is not a "tax on bloggers" but rather a "tax on business."  But of course they are trying to apply it to bloggers.

3 comments:

  1. That depends. Was it *good* candy?
    -Phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was a wonderful box of chocolates

    ReplyDelete
  3. Philadelphia is cash-strapped and more than a little corrupt. This doesn't surprise me in the least.

    (I live about 30 miles from it.)

    ReplyDelete

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