[CLUG] [OT] Government Bandwidth Tax

[Damien Mulley]

 This is an absolute scandal. How are we supposed to become the 
best country in the world for E-Commerce if theres going to be a 
bandwidth tax ? Those people in goverment buildings don't 
understand the net at all.

Taken from Rueters :
Irish Goverment Press Release.

The Finance Minister Charles MacCreevy will next week announce 
a new bandwidth tax on computer networks whose final destination 
is a computer located outside Ireland. The Minister has been in 
consultation with various Computer Consultancy and Accountancy 
firms as well as the Minister for Trade Mary O'Ruorke.

 "We believe that this will significantly increase the amount of tax 
collected from the technology areas and with this money we can 
reinvest it in goverment computing facilties" said Mr. MacCreevy.

  The Minister of Trade is quoted as saying "We believe that this 
will encourage people that use the internet in Ireland to choose 
Irish Based webservices .It will be very beneficial for Irish 
Companies whose websites are located within Ireland. Companies 
whose webservers are outside Ireland will now be strongly 
encouraged to source their hosting needs within Ireland. We 
believe that with this bold Goverment Initiative at least 13 jobs will 
be created in the first 12-18 months."

     Those that surf onto Irish Websites from abroad will not have to 
pay the tax. There have been some claims that this move is 
xenophobic and encouraging people to choose Irish Websites only. 
This appears to be the first stage in a daring plan to help Irish 
Online Business prosper. There are also hints that the goverment 
may drop the contoversial Television License fee and instead 
introduce a Computer Internet License.

Content Taken from Rueters