It’s a fairly well known fact among tourists that you can get counterfeit brand name luxury hand bags and other items in New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown.
City Council woman Margaret Chin says that has to stop and now she’s proposed a fine of $1,000 and a jail term of a year in prison to any one caught purchasing counterfeit items, reports the Associated Press via the Seattle Times.
“Hopefully, this law will cut down on demand,” she says.
Chin estimates the sale of counterfeit items in New York costs the city at least $1 billion in tax revenue each year.
But opponents argue the proposed law goes way too far.
“How would I know I’m not supposed to buy something, that there’s a fine?” said Ashley Hunter, a tourist from South Carolina browsing the racks at a New York store.
A hearing on the proposal is scheduled for today in New York.
You can read more about the proposal and how they would enforce it in the Seattle Times.
