US Senator moves to increase tax on videogames

Madison (WI) - A Senator from Wisconsin wants to mandate an extra tax on video games because he claims they are linked to juvenile crime.

Jon Erpenbach, who sits on the Wisconsin State Senate, has proposed a bill that would add an additional one percent sales tax specifically to video and computer games. The additional money would be earmarked to funding the juvenile detention system.

His specific goal is to generate enough money into the program to allow 17-year-olds to be treated as minors. Wisconsin previously passed a law that dictated that 17-year-old residents charged with a crime should be treated as adults.

"Number one, I think it’s the right thing to do because not all seventeen-year-olds belong in the adult system when it comes to non-violent offenses ... secondly, in the long run, the numbers show that if you treat certain situations in a juvenile delinquent-type of a setting, as opposed to an adult setting, chances are there’s going to be less of a problem when the kid gets older," said Erpenbach.

Erpenbach received some backlash for the plan, but is not giving up. He did, however, comment that if this is not the best way to achieve his goal, "I’m open to any other way."