Taxing the Star Trek Fan

Date: 2002 The 2003 budget for NASA was just over $15 Billion. Yet, that is just a drop in the bucket to what is truly required to fund space exploration. Many of us would like to see the space exploration program expanded, but in this age of budget cuts and tax cuts, it is not likely to happen.

So, the question arises, how do we pay for all this new technology?

A congressional candidate in Alabama, Michael Williams, had a unique proposal: Create a Science Fiction tax, aimed ar Star Trek & Star Wars fans.

Williams, a Republican who was running for the 5th Congressional District seat, proposes a “NASA tax” of 1% on all science fiction books, comic books, space sciences books and any other space-related literature. In his platform, Williams also said the tax would apply to “space, space-related, and science fiction toys, puzzles and games.” So, anyone watching a new Star Trek or Star Wars movie, or reading any science fiction book would have to pay extra to this fund.

Not wanting to appear merely pro-tax, he also proposes to increase tax depreciation for research and development expenses to levels similar to those tax breaks provided by European governments.

Twenty-eight year old Williams holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Alabama and currently works in a Publix Supermarket. The popularity of his ideas was be tested by the public in a June 4th, 2003 primary. He lost.