FC: UN wants to tax the Net

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

A similar and equally benighted proposal from a few years back:
  http://www.ispo.cec.be/hleg/hleg.html

********

http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/20705.html

UN Proposes Global Email Tax
                     by Katie Dean 

                     12:00 p.m.  13.Jul.99.PDT
                     World governments should tax the
                     Internet to help underdeveloped countries
                     get access to the network, said a report
                     released Monday by the United Nations
                     Development Program. 

                     "The Internet has the potential to offset
                     inequalities in the global community, but if
                     we don't take action it will only reinforce
                     them," said Kate Raworth, economist and
                     co-author of the Human Development
                     Report. 

                     [...]



http://199.97.97.16/contWriter/cnd7/1999/07/12/cndin/6626-0371-pat_nytimes.h
tml
Internet Use Should Be Taxed to Help Poorer Countries, UN Says 
MOYETTE GIBBONS 
c.1999 Bloomberg News 
GENEVA -- Information sent through the Internet should be taxed to fund
access 
for developing countries to the global communications network, the United 
Nations says in a new report. 
A small tax of one cent on every 100 lengthy emails would generate more than 
$70 billion a year to help provide expensive equipment in poor countries,
many 
of which, are still struggling to catch up with older technologies, such as 
telephones, televisions and radios, the UN's latest Human Development Report 
said. 
The UN estimates that the number of Internet users worldwide will increase 
from 
150 million this year to more than 700 million in 2001. The information 
revolution, though, risks further dividing rich and poor countries, it said. 
``The typical Internet user world-wide is male, under 35 years old, with a 
university education and high income, urban based and English speaking,'' the 
report said. ``The literally well connected have an overpowering advantage 
over 
the unconnected poor.'' 

[...]


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