In the aftermath of the outrage, I was left to wonder if taxing bloggers was such a bad thing. In fact, I think it could help bring professionalism to a “hobby” that’s long needed a push into maturity. I will totally agree that, as is, what Minister for Information, Culture in Tanzania is putting together makes little sense. The idea of taxing a grandmother and her crochet blog is extreme. However, tax or no tax, bloggers need to start thinking of themselves as small business owners. And maybe taxing them is just the way to start that new line of thinking. We may find it would actually help, not hinder them.
I support taxing bloggers but in small amount of charges (Less than $900 per year). Here’s why.
A blog tax may:
Force bloggers to be honest with themselves
The loudest argument I’m hearing against this blog tax is that most people don’t consider their blog a business. It’s a hobby, they say. Sorry, but the moment you put ads or affiliate links onto your blog it stops becoming a hobby. That’s the moment you become a small business owner, just like Joan’s Donuts down the street that’s also making no money. Whether you take that fact seriously or not is up to you. But you started down the road of making money via your blog and you should be honest about why you did it. Are you looking to make some money via AdSense? Are you hoping to build your business by creating authority and a stronger personal brand? Are you hoping to get enough traffic on your blog to sell a product? Why are you blogging? It’s time to be honest about your intentions.Encourage bloggers to treat their blog like a business
It’s been settled. If you attempt to make money from your blog it is now a business. That means you should start treating it like one and stop using it pen your Christmas letter to Aunt Millie. Once you start thinking of yourself as a small business owner your entire approach to blogging will change.You’ll be more likely to:
- Create an editorial calendar and stop phoning in your content.
- Stop lurking and start networking with people in your industry to build authority and relationships.
- Create a reader street team to build buzz and get the word about what you’re doing.
- Look into REAL ways of monetization and get away from webmaster welfare.
- Invest in blog consulting services so it stops looking like NASCAR designed it.
Help bloggers take themselves more seriously
My biggest issue with bloggers and blogging is the lack of credibility assigned to the medium. And a big part of why bloggers are looked at as a joke and or imposters is because they treat themselves that way by half-assing content and not committing to what they’re doing. When you don’t take what you do seriously, you give other people license to disrespect you in the same way. I don’t think that may be like $300 (Less than $900 announced) lifetime blogger license is going to make people heed the power of the keyboard, but I do wonder if maybe it’s not a step in the right direction to make people take what they’re doing more seriously or at least question it. If you’re appalled by the idea of having to pay a one-time lifetime fee of $300 (Less than $900 announced) then maybe you shouldn’t be blogging. I don’t think a fee would fix blogging but maybe it would shine a light on some people who shouldn’t be there. If your blog isn’t worth $300 (Less than $900 announced), total, in your lifetime, then I don’t want it clogging up my Internet.
I wrote (Less than $900 announced), Because i recommended they will start with $300 for blogger licence not like the amount announced.
Conclusion
I don’t think that applying a tax to blogger will smoke out the hacks, but I’m okay with raising that bar to entry just a tad higher.
If you have any addition or for Other opinion please comment down:
If you have any addition or for Other opinion please comment down:
