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TechSpot RSSInformation Technology
EU proposing tax on all SMS and email
Would people consider a tax on SMS messages fair? Considering it is a service you already pay money for that uses licensed technology that the cell companies also pay for, it seems a bit backwards to also charge a tax for it. However, currently in Europe, there is a proposed tax on anyone sending text messages. The European Union lawmakers have composed the bill, and it is currently under review by Parliament. If passed, all text messages would get a 1.5 cent text, and a fractional cent cent on every single email sent. How this would be tracked and enforced is a good question, but I am sure many are outraged even at the idea. Then again, most phone companies are required to tax their customers for emergency service provisions. In that case, however, the tax is going to help provide the emergency service. This tax would be simply a source of extra revenue. Considering the popularity of SMS, a very large source at that. Would a tax on SMS be agreeable to you?
User Comments (9)
Post a comment| moimit on May 26, 2006 7:27 PM | OMG that would be typical, why does the government have to cash in on everything? soon they'll tax me for going to the toilet and if that happens i'll turn up on the parliament doorsteps and take a hot steaming pooh on right where someone would walk in it. Then i will throw them my 15 cents and turn my nose up in the air and walk away. Boo to the money grabbing polititions who just want more. Not like it is costing them more from 5 years ago so why bother hitting us up for the tax now?
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| canadian on May 26, 2006 8:05 PM | Just another hand in your pocket.
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| Xavien on May 27, 2006 4:16 AM | All im going to say is V.A.T thats all, no we dont need yet another tax here in the UK, the countries in the EU are the most taxed in the entire world, say NO to SMS taxes!
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| Tartaras on May 27, 2006 12:20 PM | We have taxes of sms from begining of mobile phone industry in Lithuania. I pay 3,5 euro cent's per sms  and thats normal
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| nic on May 27, 2006 3:07 PM | It should help cut down Spam emails/SMS messages.
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| spike on May 28, 2006 2:47 AM | Originally posted by nic:
It should help cut down Spam emails/SMS messages.
Only if the spam comes from within Europe, and most doesn't.
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| vigilante on May 28, 2006 2:50 PM | lol, what a rip. It already costs me a ton from Sprint to send messages as it is. Frankly, I don't even want to pay them 4 cents to say "sup, call me" to a friend.
moimit, I'm holding you to your promised actions...
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| Uranium238 on May 29, 2006 4:19 AM | Errr Tartaras, that's what it costs here to just send an SMS, the EU wants an additional tax (like we had the tax on storage media/devices)
But taxing e-mails is just that, absurd. So now all the free providers will make us pay? No way...
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| Tartaras on May 31, 2006 1:01 AM | Originally posted by Uranium238:
Errr Tartaras, that's what it costs here to just send an SMS, the EU wants an additional tax (like we had the tax on storage media/devices)
But taxing e-mails is just that, absurd. So now all the free providers will make us pay? No way... MMM... an additional tax, sorry for misapprehension.
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