Bill would tax broadcasters to pay for campaigns
Don Day June 21st, 2007
A new bill in congress would tax each television station’s gross advertising 2% to pay for presidential campaigns. The proposal is sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Illinois), Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pennsylvania), Sen. Russ Feingold (D., Wisconsin) and Sen. Barack Obama (D., Illinois).
“This would cost [broadcasters] a ton of money, but they make a fortune on candidates,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told TV Week. “The broadcast industry does quite well. To ask them to play a part in this is quite reasonable.”
The proposal, which is in its earliest stages, would also change the current “lowest unit” rule - which requires broadcasters to sell spots at the lowest unit charge paid by any advertiser on the station at the time of the buy. The new rule would allow candidates to buy time twenty percent lower than the lowest rate, and allow a wider definition of which groups could buy time at the rate.
6 Comments Add your own
1. Steve Safran | June 22nd, 2007 at 6:57 am
No.
2. Richard | June 22nd, 2007 at 7:54 am
From the TV Week article
“The current system is unsustainable,” Sen. Durbin said, adding that it forces candidates to spend so much time with the wealthy trying to raise money that “we don’t spend enough time with the average working people.”
To which the average working people reply, “Call first if you plan on coming around, so’s we can count the silverware.”
3. Steve Boriss | June 22nd, 2007 at 8:15 am
That’s funny. I never noticed we are in the midst of a national crisis because Presidential candidates do not get enough media exposure or have enough money to campaign. If I’m not alone, where are our fearless journalists to call attention to this shameless extortion attempt against media, advertisers, and consumers by Senators Durbin, Spector, Feingold and Obama? (Steve Boriss, thefutureofnews.com)
4. Dave | June 22nd, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Agree with Safran.
I seriously doubt that THIS will cause all politicians to care for the public again. Do the independent’s, green’s, and other party candidates get any of this money, by the way?
5. Tim | June 24th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
1) if you tax broadcasters, also make sure you tax cable channels as well. It’s only fair.
2) Campaign reform will not remove corruption from political campaigns, even if the taxpayers were to pay completely for campaings, with a spending limit. Corruption will just move out of the direct campaign contributions into some other form of bribery.
6. Rocker | June 25th, 2007 at 6:33 am
The sheer stupidity of this proposal ought to be sufficient to cause anyone to consider Durbin, Specter and anyone else who supports it as unfit for office.
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