You can duck, jump, morph, shoot or fly, but no matter what level you are on or what game you are playing, you will not be able to avoid Gov. David Paterson.
The governor’s proposed tax on downloadable content has videogame aficionados questioning the wisdom behind jacking up the price of what many consider a source of relaxation.
In January, Paterson announced an executive budget that attempts to curb what he labeled the largest budget deficit in state history. The amount of cuts represents a $1.7 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year, as well as a $13.7 billion deficit in the 2009-2010 budget year.
Paterson is proposing a series of taxes that include an 18 percent tax on non-diet sodas and soft drinks nicknamed `the obesity tax;` a tax on cable and satellite TV and radio services; a tax on personal services, such as salon services, massages and credit rating services; an increased tax on wine; as well as an increased tax on luxury goods.
If you are the type of person who drinks diet soda, never buys luxury items and hasn’t gotten a haircut in years, the governor’s tax proposals would probably not affect you.
Unless, of course, you are a sucker for your Wii.
Should the governor’s budget pass as proposed, both state and local sales taxes would be imposed on purchases of prewritten software, digital audio, audio-visual and text files, digital photographs, games and other electronically delivered entertainment services.
In other words, taxes would be applied to all songs downloaded on iTunes, game demos and add-ons for the PlayStation systems, and possibly even the ring tones and wallpaper photos that are currently downloadable for a few dollars.
In Paterson’s description of the tax, he said, `With the passage of this bill, a book, song, album or movie would be subject to sales tax no matter if it was bought at a brick-and-mortar store or downloaded online.`
The governor’s office was unavailable for comment. However, many members of the gaming community, ranging in age and gaming interest, were vocal about their opposition to the governor’s proposal.
`If the tax was on just things like add-ons, I would probably pay it,` said 14-year-old Joey Cunneen, of Delmar, who was browsing the videogame section at BestBuy in Crossgates Mall. `But I still wouldn’t understand why the tax is being employed in the first place.`
Cunneen’s preferred game system is the Xbox 360, and he said he typically downloads a game or add-on to his system about once a month, at a cost of $5 to $15.
Although the governor has not specified how much the tax would be, `I would pay $1 or $2 more,` for downloads, Cunneen said.
His friend David Knauer, 15, of Glenmont, said even that amount is unjustifiable.
`I think even $1 would be kind of a lot,` he said.
Cunneen and Knauer consider themselves gamers. Knauer is most interested in RPGs, or role-playing games.
Both said they have been playing video games for years, but how will the governor’s proposed tax affect someone new to the gaming world?
Thirty-year-old Maurice Christopher said he does not really consider himself a gamer but he does have a PlayStation 3 at home that he and his wife use. About once every three months Christopher said he downloads content on his PS3.
`The tax would probably decrease the amount I download,` said Christopher. `Especially if it costs more for it.`
Others had an even more passionate response to the proposal.
`I wouldn’t buy anything online anymore,` said Clement Fabre, 19, of Schenectady. Fabre also uses a PS3 and said he downloads content monthly.
`Why did he do this?` Fabre asked of the governor’s proposal, adding that the cost of the tax would not determine his purchasing, but the fact that there is a tax on the content would be enough to deter him.
Fabre’s friend, Pierre Caffin, 20, also of Schenectady, chimed in outside of EB Games, a videogame store at Crossgates Mall, stating that, `It’s a shame that he wants to do this.`
Although the tax could affect a number of gamers, it will not affect all of them because many do not rely on downloadable content to use on their gaming systems.
Zack Schongar, 12, of Troy, said he never has and probably never will download content to his PlayStation. Schongar said he likes to play sports. His father said that Schongar’s sisters download a lot of content and that `they wouldn’t do it as much if it cost more.`
The tax on downloadable content also has the potential to affect the retailers that carry the games.
The tax could affect retailers negatively if gamers begin to lose interest in specific games that rely heavily on downloadable elements. On the other hand, the tax could promote economic stimulus in the gaming world by encouraging gamers to simply go to the stores and buy what they would otherwise download since they would be paying the same price anyway.“