Chicago Netflix Subscribers to Pay More
The Windy City is enacting a 9 percent tax on streaming services.
Chicago has enacted a "cloud tax," which will tack on 9 percent to streaming services like Netflix and Spotify, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
It's an expansion of the city's amusement tax, which taxes things like movies and tickets to sporting events. The streaming provision of the amusement tax takes effect in September, and the city estimates it will bring in $12 million annually.
The Sun-Times reported that Chicago is the first major city to enact a tax on digital services. Other cities, such as New York, already tax entertainment and information services.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chicago-netflix-subscribers-pay-more-806622
On something like this, taxing utility bills, I'd be okay with whatever the regular sales tax percentage is. But not an EXTRA "amusement tax" where it's a higher rate than the sales tax, and then they just keep raising it all the time, and often times the amusement tax is on top of the sales tax.
Things like hotel taxes are targeted at visitors and tourists, and honestly the tourist taxes are way too high. It makes "amusement" so expensive, and things are already expensive anyway.