Jefferson City, MO — Today, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE) released a statement of support for Missouri House of Representatives Bill 2057, which would clarify the law to prevent municipalities in the Show-Me State from imposing franchise fees or “Netflix taxes” on video streaming services. The bill will be considered at the House Utilities Committee’s hearing on Wednesday, January 24 at 10:30am. Missouri resident Gerard Scimeca, Chairman of CASE, offered the following statement:

“For far too long, Missouri municipalities have been trying to bilk their residents by raising taxes on popular video streaming services. Over 80 percent of American consumers use a subscription video-on-demand service like Netflix, and that share continues to grow. At a time when Missouri families are struggling under the weight of inflation and Biden’s failed economic policies, raising taxes on sports, news, and entertainment platforms would only worsen that pain.

“Notably, municipal franchise fees on streaming wouldn’t just cover the largest platforms like Netflix, but also conservative outlets like Fox Nation and Daily Wire+, as well as smaller, independent platforms. The regulatory burden of complying with a patchwork of municipal streaming taxes would fall hardest on smaller businesses. CASE supports HB 2057 because it would protect Missouri consumers from tax increases and prevent cities from enacting anti-business, anti-consumer policies that discourage investment and innovation in our state.”