EU considers taxing emails and SMSs
A new tax threat is facing the European Union members. Email considered free for a long time seems to become the new cashcow for the European Union lawmakers.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers are investigating a proposed tax on emails and mobile phone text messages as a way to fund the 25-member bloc in the future.
A European Parliament working group is reviewing the idea, tabled by Alain Lamassoure, a prominent French MEP and member of the centre-right European People's Party, the assembly's largest group.
Lamassoure, a member of Jacques Chirac's UMP party, is proposing to add a tax of around 1.5 cents (0.8 pence) on text or SMS messages and a 0.00001 cent levy on every email sent.
"This is peanuts, but given the billions of transactions every day, this could still raise an immense income," he said.
Currently the EU budget is funded through a combination of import duties, value added tax revenues and direct contributions from member states -- the so-called "Gross National Income resource", which is calculated according to wealth.
However, following a year-long battle over the current seven-year budget, agreed last December, it was decided that the way in which the EU is funded should be changed, with new proposals expected by 2008/2009.
A single "EU tax" has found support among many of the 25 EU governments, MEP's and the European Commission, the EU's executive arm. Other ideas include a tax on airline tickets and an extra levy on oil companies.
In Italy, the concept of a tax on texting was floated in the past, as a way to help offset the country's huge deficit, although it was flatly rejected by the outgoing government.
But Lamassoure argues that with billions of emails and texts sent around the world, it's a novel and simple way to raise funds from new technology.
"Exchanges between countries have ballooned, so everyone would understand that the money to finance the EU should come from the benefits engendered by the EU," he said.
Dutch version: EU overweegt belasting op e-mail en SMS | 31-05-2006
De Europese Unie bekijkt de mogelijkheden om belasting te heffen op SMS-berichten en e-mails als alternatief op het huidige financieringssysteem van de Europese Commissie.
Op dit moment wordt de EU gefinancierd door importbelasting, BTW-opbrengsten en directe bijdragen van lidstaten. Eind vorig jaar is besloten dat er een alternatieve manier moet worden gezocht als bron van inkomsten. In 2008/2009 moeten concrete voorstellen op tafel liggen.
Een werkgroep van het Europees Parlement bekijkt nu het voorstel om 1,5 eurocent belasting te heffen op SMS-berichten en 0,00001 eurocent op elke verzonden email.
Het idee om een Europese belasting te heffen vindt veel steun bij de 25 lidstaten. Andere ideeën die nu bestaan zijn belastingen op vliegtickets en extra belasting op oliebedrijven.
A new tax threat is facing the European Union members. Email considered free for a long time seems to become the new cashcow for the European Union lawmakers.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers are investigating a proposed tax on emails and mobile phone text messages as a way to fund the 25-member bloc in the future.
A European Parliament working group is reviewing the idea, tabled by Alain Lamassoure, a prominent French MEP and member of the centre-right European People's Party, the assembly's largest group.
Lamassoure, a member of Jacques Chirac's UMP party, is proposing to add a tax of around 1.5 cents (0.8 pence) on text or SMS messages and a 0.00001 cent levy on every email sent.
"This is peanuts, but given the billions of transactions every day, this could still raise an immense income," he said.
Currently the EU budget is funded through a combination of import duties, value added tax revenues and direct contributions from member states -- the so-called "Gross National Income resource", which is calculated according to wealth.
However, following a year-long battle over the current seven-year budget, agreed last December, it was decided that the way in which the EU is funded should be changed, with new proposals expected by 2008/2009.
A single "EU tax" has found support among many of the 25 EU governments, MEP's and the European Commission, the EU's executive arm. Other ideas include a tax on airline tickets and an extra levy on oil companies.
In Italy, the concept of a tax on texting was floated in the past, as a way to help offset the country's huge deficit, although it was flatly rejected by the outgoing government.
But Lamassoure argues that with billions of emails and texts sent around the world, it's a novel and simple way to raise funds from new technology.
"Exchanges between countries have ballooned, so everyone would understand that the money to finance the EU should come from the benefits engendered by the EU," he said.
Dutch version: EU overweegt belasting op e-mail en SMS | 31-05-2006
De Europese Unie bekijkt de mogelijkheden om belasting te heffen op SMS-berichten en e-mails als alternatief op het huidige financieringssysteem van de Europese Commissie.
Op dit moment wordt de EU gefinancierd door importbelasting, BTW-opbrengsten en directe bijdragen van lidstaten. Eind vorig jaar is besloten dat er een alternatieve manier moet worden gezocht als bron van inkomsten. In 2008/2009 moeten concrete voorstellen op tafel liggen.
Een werkgroep van het Europees Parlement bekijkt nu het voorstel om 1,5 eurocent belasting te heffen op SMS-berichten en 0,00001 eurocent op elke verzonden email.
Het idee om een Europese belasting te heffen vindt veel steun bij de 25 lidstaten. Andere ideeën die nu bestaan zijn belastingen op vliegtickets en extra belasting op oliebedrijven.
posted by DanGa @ Thursday, June 15, 2006
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