Tax a Burden for Writers

It would appear the city council fails to understand that, despite the huge earnings of Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark and John Grisham, most writers aren’t wealthy (“Writers Fight Home Business Law,” Sept. 9). Literary magazines, scholarly journals and other periodicals with small circulations pay very little, if anything at all, for articles, short stories and poetry. In fact, when inflation is factored in, magazine writers earn less per word today than they did 40 or 50 years ago.

As may be obvious, I don’t favor a business tax on writers who work at home. If, however, the Writers Guild fails in its court case on the constitutional question and our city council feels it must penalize writers for living in Los Angeles, they should consider legislation that would levy a tax on those home-based writers who actually earn a living from their literary efforts, those whose income from writing exceeds a certain amount. Is that asking too much of the council? Aren’t they interested in encouraging talent in our city? Isn’t the cultural climate of Los Angeles worthy of some concern?

JOHN APOSTOLOU

Los Angeles