Taxing Fun

Louisiana Representative Robert E. Billiot, a Democrat from District 83 in Jefferson Parish, recently withdrew his bill which was designed to imposed a 1-percent sales tax on televisions and video game equipment. That money would have gone toward building playgrounds and fighting childhood obesity.

Here is another example of a legislator thinking that he knows how to best look out for the interests of children–by taxing “bad” behavior and funding unnecessary projects. Like most nanny-state endeavors, this campaign would almost certainly be ineffective.

It is up to parents, who have every incentive to look after their children’s health, to decide if, and for how long, their children should watch television or play video games. Rep. Billiot said he withdrew the bill because he had no information on how much revenue it would raise, and that he might re-introduce the bill at a later debt. For the children’s sake, let us hope not.