[governance] France Proposes an Internet Tax

[michael gurstein]

Milton, is it that you don't like this particular tax or that you don't like
taxes in general.

 

If the former I'ld be interested to know in some more detail what it is
about this particular tax you don't like (apart from the fact that it is a
tax being introduced by the French) and what you would replace it with to
obtain revenues from this emerging sector assuming that you think folks like
Google and their Internet compatriots should pay their fair share as very
many are now insisting.  

 

If it is the latter I would be curious to know how you see responsible
states being able to meet the challenge of reponding to the collective
challenges/responsibilities of the modern state so ably articulated last
evening by your President.

 

MG

 

From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org
[mailto:governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of Milton L Mueller
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 7:25 AM
To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org; Andrea Glorioso
Subject: RE: [governance] France Proposes an Internet Tax

 

 

 

 

The report published Friday said a tax on data collection was justified on
grounds that users of services like Google and Facebook are, in effect,
working for these companies without pay by providing the personal
information that lets them sell advertising.

[Milton L Mueller] Good deal. In order to compensate and protect us from
"working without pay" we will work for the government of France without pay
as well. Cartesian logic at work.

Or perhaps they will use the revenues to subsidize access to Facebook and
Google, since they charge their users so much that.um, well, some of them,
um, can't afford. oh, never mind.

Of course, this is just a tax on the advertisers, in the end. It will simply
increase the costs of Google/Facebook and be recovered from advertisers. 

It wouldn't be France however unless you threw a soupcon of anti-Americanism
and trade protectionism into the pot as well (will the same tax will be
applied to all commercial broadcasters in France, whose viewers are sold to
advertisers "without pay"?) How about French newspapers with ads - their
poor customers even have to pay for the newspaper, and then are sold to
advertisers. Merde!

Interestingly, this whole line of argument presumes that the services users
receive in return for their data are worthless. Remember that next time you
hear someone claim that Google and Facebook are "essential facilities" that
no one can live without.

It's sad that governments that just want more money have to strain to come
up with trendy rationalizations. What happened to the good old days when
they just sent in armed thugs to appropriate a bunch of your pigs and cows?

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