Citing steep taxes on "coin-operated amusement devices," a small shop in Hampshire, Illinois was forced to remove its 10 arcade machines, eliminating a popular after-school hangout for kids and teens.
The story, as reported by The Courier News, has all the makings of a Disney movie – the Name Your Game store is a small-town Mom and Pop establishment, serving up collector cards and soda, with wholesome arcade offerings like "Glow-in-the-Dark Air Hockey" and Ms. Pac-Man.
But with a $100 annual registration fee, and a $250 yearly fee per arcade machine, the store had no choice but to remove the units and watch their teenage clientele evaporate.
Hampshire village officials explain that the fees were established years ago, and "set them so high partly because the companies that own the machines usually pay any tax."
The companies that own the machines have been unwilling, however, citing the Hampshire fee as "one of the highest fees in Illinois" and refusing to pay unless the Name Your
Game store starts serving alcohol. (Can you almost see the caped villain lurking in the shadows, stroking his impeccably coiffed moustache?)
While stories of this sort will likely become all too common with a struggling economy, this particular case of large establishments crushing their competitors is still a sad one. The Hampshire village officials report that restaurants and other establishments in Illinois have plenty of arcade machines, and still have no problem getting game companies to pay the exorbitant fees – "There is no liquor served at these locations, and in most cases the game companies seem to be paying the fee. We don't get checks from Travel America or the BP."
Small wonder that larger businesses located along the I-90 / Route 20
Interchange don't have trouble shouldering the costs, or getting their arcade providers to cover their expenses.
Image: Marcin Wichary / flickr
Hampshire shop: Video game tax driving teens out of their hangout [The Courier News, via GamePolitics]
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