Business Tax on Bloggers? In Philadelphia, Yes, and Others?

This story from the Law Librarian Blog caught my eye, “Short Takes on the News”:

Excerpt: “…If someone lives in Philadelphia and blogs, and collects even a tiny amount of income from that activity, then that person could expect a tax bill from the city for $300. It represents the cost of a business privilege license. Apparently any activity that generates even a tiny amount of money is subject to the license fee. The Philadelphia City Paper tells the story or Marilyn Bess, who operates a low traffic blog that generates about $50 in ad revenue. She received one of the bills, which was not a mistake after she investigated it. It’s sad that even in rough economic times that a city such as Philadelphia would stoop to these tactics. I wonder how Ben Franklin would respond? Hat Tip to Andrew Sullivan’s blog for the tip….” (Link to full blog post.)

(Read about Benjamin Franklin.)