Finding love in Washington State comes with a price.
The bill proposed by two state Democrats will impose taxes on dating apps.
Under the terms of House Building 2071, dating app companies are required to pay $1 per Washington-based user, whether or not the user pays for the service. Money is used to fund domestic violence programs.
The funds will be placed in newly created state domestic violence services accounts to fund intervention programs and support services for victims.
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Assorted apps such as Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Hud, Hickey, Wink, Coffee Meets Bagel, OkCupid, and lots of fish can be found on your iPhone. (istock)
The only users excluded are those who have had an inactive account for at least 24 months.
Fox News Digital contacted the office of representatives of Democrats behind the law, Lauren Davis and Sean Scott. Fox News Digital also contacted several dating app companies for reaction.
“Online dating companies can decide how to absorb costs,” Davis told Fox News Digital. “They could simply cut it from profits, increase their paid users’ fees by $1 a month or start charging free users (the latter would be unlikely).
The bill targets dating apps such as Hinge, Match.com, Bumble and Tinder. The law was first read on Tuesday and was introduced to the state legislative finance committee.
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Washington Democrats aim to tax dating apps to fund domestic violence resources. (Danmihai/Getty Images)
After lawmakers passed HB 1169 in 2023, funding for domestic violence programs was needed, removing penalties for victims of crime and paid by those convicted of the crime. The CVP provided primary funding to victim advocates working in the prosecutor’s office, Davis said.
“When HB 1169 was passed, the state committed to filling the capital losses from the CVP with General Fund State (GFS) dollars,” she said. “Unfortunately, the state has not maintained this commitment. The offices of prosecutors across the state are forced to fire victim advocates, and victim scores are no longer receiving victim advocates services.”
Davis explained that her bill was intended to replace missing funds.
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She further criticised Washington’s legal system, calling it a “nightmare of the victims.”
“This system is designed to protect the defendant, not the victim,” she said. “We cannot assume that we have successfully navigated the system without a victim advocate. We are likewise rightly afraid that situational victims will no longer receive help.
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“The purpose of this tax proposal is not to reimburse victim services, but to maintain the state’s commitment to crime victims,” she added. “Nexus is not required for taxes because of its pay, but there is a reasonable Nexus between online dating apps and domestic violence.”
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