GamePolitics has, in recent weeks, been tracking a proposal by Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach to add a 1% surcharge to video game purchases in order to fund a juvenile justice program.

Erpenbach’s plan to keep 17-year-olds out of the adult criminal justice system sounds like a no-brainer, although the idea of a game tax is rather controversial.

Yesterday, Joystiq had reaction to the Wisconsin tax proposal from ESA president Michael Gallagher (left):

This bill will stunt an industry that is growing in Wisconsin at over 11% per year and contributes more than $23 million to the state economy. It negatively impacts the hundreds of Wisconsin citizens whose jobs and families depend on the computer and video game industry.

And, it unfairly burdens all Wisconsin consumers by imposing a double tax on video games and game consoles. Not only is it unconstitutional to discriminatorily target video games with a punitive tax, there is no public policy support for the bill: The fact is that national juvenile crime has decreased as video games have soared in popularity.

Meanwhile, the LaCrosse Tribune quotes Wendy Henderson, policy analyst (and apparent non-gamer) for the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, who favors the Erpenbach proposal:

Video games are perhaps not the best use of the kids’ time, so if we can use some of the money from the video games and turn it into something positive, that’s a really good use of that money.

Meanwhile, the State Senator denied any implied connection between video games and crime. He said his idea was simply a creative way to fund the juvenile justice program: 

Here’s one idea to pay for it. If you have another one, fine.

Erpenbach has not yet filed the bill and has no co-sponsors on board at this point.

GP: By the way, GamePolitics has heard it whispered that the ESA is quite concerned about potential game tax proposals such as this one…