I would just put up a link, but these articles only remain on the site for a week. In the interest of posterity, here's the full text:
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NewsHour Extra Daily Buzz
Posted: February 1, 2008
'No Child Left Inside' taxes indoor games to promote those outdoors
Some groups want to tax children's indoor activities -- such as video games and television -- to help motivate them to participate in outdoor activities instead.
The Rio Grande chapter of the Sierra Club is spearheading the No Child Left Inside movement, which aims to have state lawmakers impose a 1 percent tax on TVs and gaming equipment to fund outdoor education programs, the Associated Press reported.
"We believe that an outdoor education program in New Mexico could be funded through a tax on the very activities that are divorcing kids from nature, promoting more sedentary lifestyles," Michael Casaus, Sierra Club's state youth representative, told the AP.
Opponents argue that the initiative would unfairly punish New Mexico retailers, which must compete with online rental services exempt from the tax, and that the gaming industry should not bear the sole responsibility for complex issues, such as childhood obesity.
Analysts predict that the tax could bring in about $4 million in annual revenue, according to the AP.
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