According to recent legislation introduced by Rep. Robert Nardolillo III, R-Coventry, a tax on video games rated mature or higher would be implemented in order to increase mental health and counseling resources in schools.
The tax, which would be an additional 10-percent sales tax to video games sold in Rhode Island with a rating of “M” or higher, is an effort by Nardolillo to counteract the supposed “aggression” that games of a mature nature may cause. “There is evidence that children exposed to violent video games at a young age tend to act more aggressively than those who are not,” Nardolillo said in a statement (via The Providence Journal). “This bill would give schools the additional resources needed to help students deal with that aggression in a positive way.”
While states cannot ban the sale of certain video games to minors, the tax could be passed. Nardolillo’s proposal would have revenue generated by the tax to be placed in a special account in order for school districts to access it for anything from counseling, mental health programs, or other conflict-resolution activities. His goal, he says, is to make all schools in Rhode Island “a safe and calm place.”
Of course, it’s uncertain whether or not this legislation will make it through the needed process to be implemented, but it is interesting to see how different states are trying to attack the problem of gun violence in the country. Let us know in the comments below how you feel about a proposed extra tax on “Mature” video games.
[Source: The Providence Journal]
