Pennsylvania lawmakers have put ahead a invoice that will introduce a further 10% tax on violent videogames. The cash raised by the so-called “sin tax” would go to a fund known as the “Digital Protection for School Safety Account,” in an try to boost safety measures to assist stop college shootings.
House Bill 109, which was put ahead final yr by Republican state consultant Chris Quinn, would apply the additional tax to these games that the ESRB charges as M for Mature or Adults-Only. After gross sales tax, that will elevate the price of a regular triple-A launch from round $60 to $70 (£54).
Explaining the invoice final yr in a memo, Quinn mentioned that “one factor that may be contributing to the rise in, and intensity of, school violence is the material kids see, and act out, in video games.” He went on to reference a statement from the National Center for Health Research which says “studies have shown that playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in both the short-term and long-term.”
That assertion goes on to say that psychological sickness, entry to weapons, and different components can elevate the danger of violence. Quinn’s assertion doesn’t reference this data.
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Quinn first raised the invoice in October 2018, the place it was unsuccessful. At that point, the Entertainment Software Association, a lobbying group engaged on behalf of the videogame trade advised Variety that House Bill 109 could be “a violation of the US constitution,” and that “we encourage Pennsylvania legislators to work with us to raise awareness about parental controls and the ESRB video game rating system.”
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