[governance] FW: TP: city government exercising policy on Google Applications / consumer rights / Consumer Protection Act / trial period

[Kerry Brown]

> I'm not sure why you think that a mechanism for global governance to allow
> for some sort of regulation/taxation would necessarily require tracking of
> Internet users anymore than they are already trackable/traceable for the
> purposes of e-commerce which is the point of the exercise.
> 

In order to ensure that all relevant jurisdictions receive their portion of any tax collected both the seller and the purchaser must be identified. In a physical transaction the goods can be followed and taxes applied. In a virtual transaction with no physical goods only the seller and buyer can be tracked. Without ensuring the identity of the buyer it would be easy for buyers to scam the system and avoid paying the tax. I don't think a worldwide taxation system could work without some form of irrefutable digital ID that is open to inspection by any government. I'm not against a digital ID. It would actually help with Internet commerce. I am against any government having access to how and where these IDs are used without some kind of court oversight. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but for me it is the top of a slippery slope that leads to more government control.

Kerry Brown
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