With apologies to the late George Harrison. I think he’d have appreciated this story, though. The Philadelphia City Paper reports:
For the past three years, Marilyn Bess has operated MS Philly Organic, a small, low-traffic blog that features occasional posts about green living, out of her Manayunk home. Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says she’s made about $50. To Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, it’s a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut.
In May, the city sent Bess a letter demanding that she pay $300, the price of a business privilege license…
When Bess pressed her case to officials with the city’s now-closed tax amnesty program, she says, “I was told to hire an accountant.”
Another Philly blogger got the same letter demanding $300 for his blog, which has made… 11 bucks. Over the course of two years.
The city of Philadelphia is giving its citizens a very clear either/or proposition here. You can either:
- Lie on your tax returns, or:
- Move.
(Hat tip: Mark Hemingway)