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Show ales tax for newspapers violatespress freedom The Utah Legislature is considering adopting a measure which would eliminate the sales tax exemption currently given to newspapers. The results might be up to $2.5 million added revenues to the state coffers - and the impoverishment of an entire state. The newspaper business has historically been exempted from collecting sales tax for a good reason -because it is different from other businesses. Instead of selling goods and services, the newspaper business deals in ideas - and the founding fathers recognized that ideas merit special treatment in a free society. That's why several states refused to ratify the Constitution Con-stitution until a Bill of Rights was promised.-- and foremost in that document, in the First Amendment, is a guarantee of freedom of religion, speech and the press and the rights of assembly and petition. The First Amendment protects our rights to share information and ideas - and the press is a principal provider of both information and ideas, as well as an open forum for a community to participate in the process. In taxing newspaper sales, state government is taxing the exercise of First Amendment freedoms - making them conditional on the payment of the tax. Such a tax also puts government in a position to control what information is and isn't diseminated. It is not a proper role for the government in a free society. It also classifies the acquisition of news and information in-formation as a taxable privilege - when, in fact, it is a right which should be subject to as few limits as possible. There are countless other reasons to oppose such a tax. Because of the way newspapers are marketed --through --through subscriptions, news stand sales, newspaper carriers - collecting such a tax is more costly than it is worth. Also, increasing the cost of newspapers results in decreased circulation and creates a chain reaction which means reduced advertising, reduced ret and, in the long run, reduced revenue to h operators and to the state coffers. Us'iess At a time when so many newspapers oner ' marginal profit, sales tax added onto other cost 8 I well mean the demise of some newspapers --that --that may not be state governments problem "in ?h 6 of some businesses, it is where the newsnanc is concerned. p per lrtry Society benefits from a greater number of voices, and it suffers when those voices are quiel 1 But beyond all other arguments, it is simply wr force people to pay the government so they can k constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms. ,e!tereise : That's why Utah granted newspapers an exem ' from sales tax in the first place, and whv thePvP 05 should continue. 3 exemPN ' Impinging our First Amendment rights is too i for all of us, regardless of what revenue might? y from such a tax. B U result |