4 ms·

"You can view this content if you also stare at these ads. If you don't want to see the ads then don't visit this webpage." Sounds like an exchange to me. Edit

"You can view this content if you also stare at these ads. If you don't want to see the ads then don't visit this webpage." Sounds like an exchange to me. Edit: aren't "donations" received by a for-profit also taxable? Edit2: items of value acquired by theft are taxable.

PopAlongKid 5y ago
Yes, you are correct. I was still thinking of the content being "free", but it's not if you provide something to get it. Of course to actually impose income tax on these transactions would be nearly impossible. For the business, they would at least have expenses to deduct against the barter income, but for the private individual it would hobby income, with no deductions available. Also, how would FMV be established? The attention of a high-wealth person inclined to spend money is obviously worth more than that of someone of more modest means who spends very frugally, yet they both receive the same content in exchange. And if the FMV ends up being on the order of a dollar or two, it's not worth anyone's time to track it and report it.
- blackboxlogic 5y ago
  Re: business expense deductions, I think businesses already handle those. Re: taxing private individuals' micro attention "income", could be handled like "use" tax. I think my state allows me to list purchases I made online and shipped into my state so I can pay sales tax for them, or to take the "I don't know, just charge me the average amount" option. Maybe YouTube needs to send me a W2 each March which itemizes all the "work" I've done for them? Re: fair market value, doesn't seem hard when there is an option to pay dollars for a service instead of watching ads, you just found out how much your attention is worth. Attention FMV could be standardized by the IRS like milage reimbursement (58.5 cents/mile in 2022) regardless of the exact cost of /your/ miles. Edit: I'm not suggesting this would be good or easy but it would acknowledge that an entire industry is dodging taxes and degrading our quality of life. Also, were I king, this tax would be quite high (to reflect the harm to society) and would be the responsibility of the advertiser.
matheusmoreira 5y ago
> You can view this content if you also stare at these ads. If you don't want to see the ads then don't visit this webpage. How can I even decide to agree or not before I visit the page? Bet they also fingerprint you before the consent pop ups even make it to the screen. How about they stop serving web pages for free instead? Just return 402 Payment Required. If they send me ads, I will delete them.

PopAlongKid 5y ago

Yes, you are correct. I was still thinking of the content being "free", but it's not if you provide something to get it. Of course to actually impose income tax on these transactions would be nearly impossible. For the business, they would at least have expenses to deduct against the barter income, but for the private individual it would hobby income, with no deductions available. Also, how would FMV be established? The attention of a high-wealth person inclined to spend money is obviously worth more than that of someone of more modest means who spends very frugally, yet they both receive the same content in exchange. And if the FMV ends up being on the order of a dollar or two, it's not worth anyone's time to track it and report it.

blackboxlogic 5y ago
Re: business expense deductions, I think businesses already handle those. Re: taxing private individuals' micro attention "income", could be handled like "use" tax. I think my state allows me to list purchases I made online and shipped into my state so I can pay sales tax for them, or to take the "I don't know, just charge me the average amount" option. Maybe YouTube needs to send me a W2 each March which itemizes all the "work" I've done for them? Re: fair market value, doesn't seem hard when there is an option to pay dollars for a service instead of watching ads, you just found out how much your attention is worth. Attention FMV could be standardized by the IRS like milage reimbursement (58.5 cents/mile in 2022) regardless of the exact cost of /your/ miles. Edit: I'm not suggesting this would be good or easy but it would acknowledge that an entire industry is dodging taxes and degrading our quality of life. Also, were I king, this tax would be quite high (to reflect the harm to society) and would be the responsibility of the advertiser.

matheusmoreira 5y ago

> You can view this content if you also stare at these ads. If you don't want to see the ads then don't visit this webpage. How can I even decide to agree or not before I visit the page? Bet they also fingerprint you before the consent pop ups even make it to the screen. How about they stop serving web pages for free instead? Just return 402 Payment Required. If they send me ads, I will delete them.