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Gamers From the Sooner State Avoid an Unnecessary Tax Raise on Video Games

On February 20th, 2012, Oklahoma House Bill 2696 was defeated in the House Revenue and Tax Subcommittee. This legislation would have placed a 1% excise tax on the sale of all "violent" video games. When asked to withdraw his tax proposal from submission, Democratic Representative Will Fourkiller attempted to create a task force on linking obesity and aggression to video games. This proposal for the "Oklahoma Task Force on Video Games' Relationship to Obesity and Aggression" failed to come to fruition as well.

It was obvious that this bill would unfairly target video games and the gaming community of Oklahoma. As an outcome, the community was not going to let this legislation ever see the light of day. Video Game Voters Network supporters in Oklahoma worked together to send hundreds upon hundreds of messages to the subcommittee and to Representative Fourkiller that they will not let this legislation stand. And it worked, as they pointed out that the representative's claims were contrary and that the taxed games would target non-violent games like Get Up and Dance, which actually encourage people to get off the couch and exercise.

They also informed them that the U.S. Supreme Court had rejected the idea that any state can go and impose content-based restrictions on video games and that the Democrat representative from Oklahoma and his bill and actions were no exception.

So mark this as a win for the first amendment and gamer rights.

SOURCE: 
http://videogamevoters.org/index.php/blog/OK_rights_restored/