[governance] Hmmmm... Google: "Internet Freedom!"... (from taxes?

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

Is anyone at all discussing a tax treaty at WCIT?

Paid transit, sure, but who is taxing what?

--srs (iPad)

On 04-Dec-2012, at 0:53, Dominique Lacroix <dl at panamo.eu> wrote:

> Le 03/12/12 15:36, Milton L Mueller a écrit :
>> 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. 
> The wealth created by the Internet companies that do not pay taxes is a catch, the result of cuckoo economy models.
> 
> They do not pay neither for telecom infrastructures, nor for others: roads, schools, justice, military, police, customs, safety organizations: everything that enable firms to develop their business and do commerce in peace.
> 
>> 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.
> You assume that people think like businesses, while people feel more like who they vote for.
> 
> 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. If they took the money for them, it's jail               directly.
> 
> We can discute what are the best political programmes. But that's precisely what is democracy.
> 
> Democracy has a cost, that must be covered by special contributions named taxes.
> 
> No tax, no democracy.
> 
>> 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. 
> All the Dominiques and Mickaels of the world answer you: 
> the contrary of tax cut or fiscal paradise is not ""more taxation is always better for society". 
> And the contrary of "more tax" is not "no tax at all".
> 
> All the Miltons of the world know it also. 
> Except you, perhaps. That's why you are a unique person, my dear Milton!
> The unique one with some selfconsciousness and intelligence...
> 
> Kind regards, Dominique
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>>   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…
>> 
> 
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