New Mexico is considering a tax on video games and televisions. The proposed one-percent sales tax would go toward funding outdoor educational programs for kids. When one considers that a one-percent tax even on a $3,000 top-of-the-line HDTV would be only $30, it doesn’t sound too bad. However, it misses a bigger issue.

Such an electronics tax is pure and simple social engineering. Depending on your personal beliefs you may find differing levels of social engineering acceptable, and that’s fine. The bigger issue is that it’s fairly selective social engineering. The idea is sponsored by The Environmental Alliance of New Mexico as a means of getting kids out into the environment and learning about it. So there is a very clear environmental bias to the issue, but what about kids’ health?

If you’re going to tax games to get people outside, then why not tax Doritos and other junk food to get people to eat healthier? The number of smokers has declined dramatically over the years as better education, higher taxes, and more restrictions have basically choked out many from the habit. If obesity is a major issue among the young, then shouldn’t it be treated through better education, taxes on both video games and junk food, and tougher regulations? Again, that’s up to your personal beliefs.

The fundamental flaw with this initiative is that it’s self-serving towards the environmental groups instead of those who it will actually affect. Such a small tax would do little to change lifestyles, and instead could come off as a money grab. If you’re going to try something like this you might as well go all or nothing and fight childhood obesity and general kids being lazy at all of their root causes. So tax the video games, but tax the Doritos, cable modem, and everything else while you’re at it. That is, if you’re interested in playing in the big issue.

Related posts:

1. Why video games are the big fat wizard behind the curtain
2. British bid to crackdown on violent films and games fails
3. Video games may actually stall weight gain
4. University of Buffalo study draws link between games and being fat
5. Another newspaper on the side of games being useful in education

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