This from NPR:
Ticket Tax Being Proposed To Help Close D.C. Budget Gap
May 05, 2010 – By Stephanie Kaye
A new “ticket” tax is being proposed in D.C. It would increase prices for arts and cultural events in the District.
The proposal is being circulated by the Fair Budget Coalition, a group of human services providers who are trying to avoid cuts to programs for the neediest of the city’s population.
The D.C. City Council is considering the ticket tax, among many others, in order to close a $550 million budget gap. The tax would apply to club memberships and tickets for cultural events hosted by for- and not-for-profit organizations, tacking on a 6 to 8 percent fee.
The Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, a non-profit group that supports local arts organizations, says leaders in the city’s arts and culture scene are vehemently opposed; that tickets are already priced at the level most patrons are willing to pay, and that an increase could mean smaller audiences.
I understand the thought behind this: the people who can most afford to pay for increased taxes are the ones who can afford the luxury of going to arts & cultural activities. The impoverished citizenry who’s just trying to make ends meet wouldn’t be going anyway, and won’t be affected.
Except that my opinion is that the arts nourish the soul. I think this is a terrible idea. I’d rather see a tax on cable subscriptions or purchases of gaming systems.
I find myself struggling with whoever suggested this tax… I envision him as a soulless man who was once an accounting major* in college. Trying not to judge.
*For the record, most of the accounting majors that I’ve met have had souls.