New CT Bill Aims To Charge You Even More Money for Streaming

I was reading an article in Newsweek recently that talked about how the State of Maine wants to charge its residents a tax on their Netflix accounts and other similar streaming services. Right after I finished the first paragraph, I abandoned Maine and their problems and started investigating Connecticut. Do we have a tax like this? Is one on its way?

Get our free mobile app

I found myself drowning in the minutiae of some old bills and new bills and a bunch of crap that made no sense to me and got frustrated. From what I was reading Connecticut was, and is at the forefront of taxing digital products but I wasn't sure if we were paying the state a fee, just to have Netflix.

My next move was to contact some of our State Reps, Billy "Mo" Buckbee from New Milford and Pat Callahan from New Fairfield. I sent them both the same text.

Text to Callahan - Hey Pat, do you know off hand if Connecticut charges sales tax on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu?

Callahan: "Yes we do, there is a tax on digital goods such as Hulu, Netflix and online music 6.35%."

Text to Buckbee - Hey Bill, do you know off hand if Connecticut charges sales tax on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu?

Buckbee: "Yes, and they are going for more. This part of the new bill I’ve been fighting. It's HB5446 … it actually takes that new funding to benefit cable access. It’s a tax on the cable coming to your house, regardless of if you have cable. So now it’s a new tax on streaming services, a tax on using a website for purchases even (music, Amazon, etc). So it's a tax on all streaming and the Yankees and Red Sox both submitted testimony in opposition. I mean when THEY agree … cmon now!"

Buckbee even sent me a video of him speaking out in opposition of the bill.

This is the Bill's "Statement of Purpose"

To (1) extend the gross earnings tax on cable and satellite television companies to communications services providers, (2) change the method of funding community access television operations, the Public, Educational and Governmental Programming and Educational Technology Investment Account Grant Program and the Connecticut Television Network, and (3) report on a possible program to support low-income households with broadband Internet subscriptions.

That is the only paragraph in the bill that makes any sense, I don't know how these guys read this garbage all day and make sense of it.

Basically, if this goes through it will cost the average Connecticut customer even more money to subscribe to streaming services and other digital products. What is going on here!? Can't a man live? Can't he eat and breathe? I didn't even know I was paying any tax to Connecticut to watch Hulu or HBO and now they want more?

I just want to binge-watch "Curb You Enthusiasm" at the end of a long day of dealing with humans, is that too much to ask? If you take my TV away, I'm going to realize how meaningless my life is and start occupying my time paying attention to all the other ways the government is screwing me.

Connecticut is back at it again, just digging it's greasy paws into everyone's cookie jar. Get your own money Connecticut!

If Connecticut's government was a TV character it would be Roman Roy. Just a rich brat, taking, taking, mouthing off, doing what he wants and occasionally gratifying himself on the office window.