<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Is anyone at all discussing a tax treaty at WCIT?</div><div><br></div><div>Paid transit, sure, but who is taxing what?<br><br>--srs (iPad)</div><div><br>On 04-Dec-2012, at 0:53, Dominique Lacroix <<a href="mailto:dl@panamo.eu">dl@panamo.eu</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<p>Le 03/12/12 15:36, Milton L Mueller a écrit :<br>
</p>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:855077AC3D7A7147A7570370CA01ECD2289FDB@SUEX10-mbx-10.ad.syr.edu" type="cite">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31,
73, 125);">Suresh, I think the debates are related. Now it is
not just ETNO and the old telecom incumbents who want to grab
a share of the new wealth being generated by over the top
internet services, it's national governments as well. <br>
</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><small><small><small><small><tt><big><big><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">The wealth
created by</span> <span class="hps">the</span>
<span class="hps">Internet companies</span> <span class="hps">that do</span> <span class="hps">not
pay taxes</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">a catch,</span> <span class="hps">the
result of</span> <span class="hps">cuckoo</span>
<span class="hps">economy models</span><span>.</span></span></big></big></tt></small></small></small></small></p>
<p><small><small><small><small><tt><big><big><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">They do not
pay</span> neither <span class="hps">for</span>
<span class="hps"></span><span class="hps">telecom
</span></span></big></big></tt><tt><big><big><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">infrastructures</span></span>,</span>
<span class="hps">nor for others</span><span>:
roads</span><span>, schools,</span> <span class="hps">justice,</span> <span class="hps">military,
police</span><span class="">, customs,</span> <span class="hps">safety organizations</span><span>:
everything</span> <span class="hps">that enable
firms</span><span class="hps"> to develop their</span>
<span class="hps">business</span> <span class="hps">and do commerce</span> <span class="hps">in</span> <span class="hps">peace.</span></span></big></big></tt></small></small></small></small></p>
<blockquote cite="mid:855077AC3D7A7147A7570370CA01ECD2289FDB@SUEX10-mbx-10.ad.syr.edu" type="cite">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31,
73, 125);">So what is new here? Governments want to tax
whatever they can for their own (political) self-interest,
while businesses (and most citizens) want to reduce their
taxes as much as possible. <br>
</span></p>
</blockquote>
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<p><big><big><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span title="Vous présumez que les citoyens pensent comme les
entreprises.">You assume that people think like
businesses, while</span><span title="Or les citoyens
pensent davantage comme les politiques pour qui ils
votent."> people feel more like who they vote for.</span></span></big></big></p>
<p><big><big><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span title="Or les citoyens pensent davantage comme les
politiques pour qui ils votent."></span><span title="Chez
vous, je ne sais pas, mais chez nous, en France et en
Europe, les politiques utilisent leur budget pour des
programmes dans l'intérêt des coitoyens.">In your country,
I don't know the case - but here in France and Europe,
politicians are supposed to use their budgets for programs
in the interest of the citizens. </span><span title="S'ils prenaient l'argent pour eux, c'est la prison
directe.">If they took the money for them, it's jail
directly.</span></span></big></big></p>
<p><big><big>We can discute what are the best political programmes.
But that's precisely what is democracy.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>Democracy has a cost, that must be covered by special
contributions named taxes.<br>
</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>No tax, no democracy.<br>
</big></big></p>
<blockquote cite="mid:855077AC3D7A7147A7570370CA01ECD2289FDB@SUEX10-mbx-10.ad.syr.edu" type="cite">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31,
73, 125);"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31,
73, 125);">What's interesting is how un-selfconsciously the
Dominiques and Gursteins of the world assume that more
taxation = always better for society. Not a shred of critical
perspective on the governments' demands for more revenue. And
as usual, Gurstein approaches the debate by attaching labels
("Reaganomics") rather than mounting a serious argument. <br>
</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><big><big>All the Dominiques and Mickaels of the world answer
you: <br>
the contrary of tax cut or fiscal paradise is <font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">not</font></big> <small><small><small><small><small>"</small></small></small></small></small></big><small><small><small><small><small><small><small><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><small><font color="#000000"><big>"more taxation is always
better for society". <br>
And the contrary of "more tax" is not "no
tax at all"</big></font></small><font color="#000000"><big>.</big></font></span></small></small></small></small></small></small></small></p>
<p><small><small><small><small><span style="font-size: 11pt; color:
rgb(31, 73, 125);"><font color="#000000"><big>All the
Miltons of the world know it also. <br>
Except you, perhaps. That's why you are a unique
person, my dear Milton!<br>
The unique one with some selfconsciousness and
intelligence...</big></font></span></small></small></small></small></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><font color="#000000"><big>Kind regards, Dominique<br>
<br>
</big></font></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<blockquote cite="mid:855077AC3D7A7147A7570370CA01ECD2289FDB@SUEX10-mbx-10.ad.syr.edu" type="cite">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31,
73, 125);"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Do
governments have some kind of right to these revenues? If so,
what is the basis? If so, what is a reasonable rate of
taxation? How are these revenues used? How do they benefit the
internet users who generated them? Might be good for you all
to contemplate the answers to some of those questions. The
implication of your statement is that more taxation is always
better. You don’t have to be a supply-side economist to
understand that taxation can reach a point of diminishing
returns and that it can destroy economic activity as well as
help sustain social services. Please, a more intelligent
perspective on this…
</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="moz-signature" cols="72"><br>
</p>
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