Monday, November 08, 2004--Andis Kaulins [11/08/2004 04:12:00 PM] - Home - About - My Book
Germany to Tax "Internet-Capable" PCs
Germany to Tax "Internet-Capable" PCs
Never underestimate the creativity of government to develop new methods of taxation to fill their own coffers. This is particularly true for Germany under the "ill-fated" Chancellor Schroeder's administration, during which everything has gotten worse in Germany and nothing has gotten better.
As reported in German media, e.g.
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/51982
http://www.golem.de/0410/34074.html
http://snipurl.com/9osj (FAZ)
http://www.zdnet.de/news/tech/0,39023148,39126708,00.htm
http://www.vnunet.de/testticker/Internet/article.asp?ArticleID=20040923020&Ref=testticker
http://www.zdnet.de/news/business/0,39023142,39126365,00.htm
http://www.zdnet.de/news/business/0,39023142,39126148,00.htm
Germany is to become the world's first country to tax "internet-capable" computers.
As a matter of political "realities", this "internet tax" is clear. The two main German TV channels, ARD and ZDF - as well as regional stations - are financed by the State through compulsory fees placed upon all owners of radios and TVs in Germany - whether they watch the State channels or listen to State radio stations or not.
Predicatably, there is almost no strong political criticism of the Chancellor or his administration on these State-financed channels because they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them. Quite the contrary, these channels sometimes appear as if they were the media mouthpiece of the government - and German Chancellor Schroeder has even been quoted as saying that his relationship to the media is "as a chef to his waiter."
Plus, the GEZ (the organization which collects the TV and Radio fees) is a great conduit to collect all kinds of information about citizens for the government which normal privacy laws would prohibit. Why should PCs and - also planned for future taxation - cellular phones be excluded from collected State data?
The argument used - by the way - for assessing TV and Radio fees ("taxes") on PCs is that the latter CAN be used to receive TV and Radio programs of the State channels and stations. Hence, the "tax" will be applicable even if, e.g., a TV-card is not installed on the PC and even if no State-financed programs are watched or heard.
Permalink : Andis Kaulins : 11/08/2004 04:12:00 PM
Germany to Tax "Internet-Capable" PCs
Germany to Tax "Internet-Capable" PCs
Never underestimate the creativity of government to develop new methods of taxation to fill their own coffers. This is particularly true for Germany under the "ill-fated" Chancellor Schroeder's administration, during which everything has gotten worse in Germany and nothing has gotten better.
As reported in German media, e.g.
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/51982
http://www.golem.de/0410/34074.html
http://snipurl.com/9osj (FAZ)
http://www.zdnet.de/news/tech/0,39023148,39126708,00.htm
http://www.vnunet.de/testticker/Internet/article.asp?ArticleID=20040923020&Ref=testticker
http://www.zdnet.de/news/business/0,39023142,39126365,00.htm
http://www.zdnet.de/news/business/0,39023142,39126148,00.htm
Germany is to become the world's first country to tax "internet-capable" computers.
As a matter of political "realities", this "internet tax" is clear. The two main German TV channels, ARD and ZDF - as well as regional stations - are financed by the State through compulsory fees placed upon all owners of radios and TVs in Germany - whether they watch the State channels or listen to State radio stations or not.
Predicatably, there is almost no strong political criticism of the Chancellor or his administration on these State-financed channels because they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them. Quite the contrary, these channels sometimes appear as if they were the media mouthpiece of the government - and German Chancellor Schroeder has even been quoted as saying that his relationship to the media is "as a chef to his waiter."
Plus, the GEZ (the organization which collects the TV and Radio fees) is a great conduit to collect all kinds of information about citizens for the government which normal privacy laws would prohibit. Why should PCs and - also planned for future taxation - cellular phones be excluded from collected State data?
The argument used - by the way - for assessing TV and Radio fees ("taxes") on PCs is that the latter CAN be used to receive TV and Radio programs of the State channels and stations. Hence, the "tax" will be applicable even if, e.g., a TV-card is not installed on the PC and even if no State-financed programs are watched or heard.
Permalink : Andis Kaulins : 11/08/2004 04:12:00 PM
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