# Philadelphia Requires a "Business Privilege License" For Bloggers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 29, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894 "2010-08-29T17:07:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894/21 "2010-08-31T06:36:28Z")
Does updating one’s Facebook status count as blogging? This sounds truly foul. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894/22 "2010-08-31T13:24:14Z")
Do you make money off your Facebook status? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894/23 "2010-08-31T14:45:06Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > > [@I'm Not Dennis Bergkamp](#): > > > > Seems simple enough - if you use your blog to generate revenue (whether it’s profit or not), you have to get a business license. > > How 'bout selling old stuff at a yard sale? It generate revenue; should that need a business license? In our area, it does. You have to buy a permit to hold the sale. The cost is nominal, but the cops can shut you down if you don’t have one. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894/24 "2010-08-31T15:40:43Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > > [@Xema](#): > > > > How 'bout selling old stuff at a yard sale? It generate revenue; should that need a business license? > > In our area, it does. You have to buy a permit to hold the sale. The cost is nominal, but the cops can shut you down if you don’t have one. Same here – if want to hold a yard sale, it’ll cost you five bucks. The money isn’t the point of that, it’s that you can only get a yard sale licence three time each year. It was enacted to put the kibosh of people who were holding a “yard sale” of new, unopened goods every single weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894/25 "2010-08-31T15:47:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > It’s called the Hobby Loss Rule. If you’re not making money, it’s a hobby and not a business. Please reread the last line of that link. An activity can lose money five years out of five and still be a business. Even so, losses from a hobby are generally not deductible. Revenues from a hobby generally are taxable. My opinion of Philly’s business privilege tax is something best put in the Pit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-requires-a-business-privilege-license-for-bloggers/551894.md?page=1)