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Netflix, Spotify subscriptions now cost more in Chicago

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mkeys@thedesk.net

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The Netflix application appears alongside other streaming media services. (Photo: Matthew Keys for The Desk / Creative Commons)
The Netflix application appears alongside other streaming media services. (Photo: Matthew Keys for The Desk / Creative Commons)

The subscription rate for Netflix just went up — but only in Chicago.

On Wednesday, the city’s began enforcing the so-called “cloud tax” that imposes a 9 percent tax on “patrons of amusement,” which the city has determined includes streaming Internet services like Netflix and Spotify.

The law allows for services to defer collection of the tax for another three months, though many services have elected to begin collecting the tax from customers immediately, the Associated Press reports.

Netflix currently costs around $9 a month for new subscribers. The tax will push a new Netflix subscription to around $9.80 a month.

City officials say they expect to bring in an additional $12 million annually from taxes imposed on streaming digital services.

 

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.
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