My mom and I made a whirl-wind trip to Florida last week. I love noticing small cultural differences between the different states. After overhearing people discuss the plane crash (off Brazil), my mom and I set out to the grocery store to by a newspaper.

We found a local paper with no problem, and went to pay for it. We were charged sales tax for it. After a little bit of research, I discovered that, unlike in New York, certain states such as Florida, California and Idaho have a tax on newspapers.

When I was first old enough to understand what sales tax was, my grandmother explained that the government collects money from consumers when they buy goods. But, certain goods were exempt. She told me that if a good were a necessity like milk or bread, you didn’t have to pay taxes on it.
That’s why I was surprised to see Florida taxing newspapers. I always considered newspapers to be a necessity. They provide important information to the public. An informed citizenry helps to us to progress as a nation.

So why would a state tax newspapers? Some would argue that it’s a great way for the government to make money. Others would argue that the government doesn’t want an informed citizenry.

I’m not really sure what the reasoning is behind the tax, but I’m not a fan of it. The government shouldn’t be putting any unnecessary barriers between the citizenry and information about its actions.
I’m not the only one to propose this idea. There was a bill in the U.S. Senate a few months ago to give newspapers tax-exempt status, essentially making them non-profit organizations. The idea was to help newspapers weather the current economic storm.

I haven’t worked out how I feel about that plan. Any thoughts?