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How would it be any different than taxing voice-line service? Because that's exactly what this is--an attempt to extend Universal Service voice-line surcharges
by wahern 8y ago
How would it be any different than taxing voice-line service? Because that's exactly what this is--an attempt to extend Universal Service voice-line surcharges to cover text messaging service.
- qwerty456127 8y agoTaxing the line service provider revenue is reasonable. Taxing the people for using it is not.
- wahern 8y agoIt may be unreasonable, but it's exactly how it works today. Look at your bill.
- qwerty456127 8y agoDo you really mean you pay both the telecom subscription + some kind of state/federal tax that depends on how much did you speak/download? I certainly don't and never did, this probably differs between countries.
- wahern 8y agoAFAIU I pay fixed surcharges per account but I fail to see how, say, a per-SMS tax would violate the First Amendment while taxing each individual sale of a newspaper does not. In the U.S. we also have a constitutional right to freedom of travel but that doesn't make a gasoline tax unconstitutional. Generally speaking, the First Amendment prohibits the government from regulating the content of speech, not the speech itself.
- rhacker 8y agoIt may also never have had a legal challenge. we may very well live to see a day where taxing communication is rendered... illegal. Things change. Remember 30 years ago where people could smoke inside a grocery store? How mind-warpingly fast things can change right?