Tax on texting

Sizzler

Deputy Mary White from The Green Party last night came out and suggested a 1c tax on each text you send. She proudly stood up and said this would reel in a not to be sneezed at €1.4 BILLION. Lenihan was rubbing his hands with glee.

Cue Mary White going on Newstalk this morning where they crunched the numbers for her live on air, she was "slightly" off the mark.

Last year the industry said on average there were 25 million texts sent a day, which would raise €91 million, not bad money but slightly less than the €1.4 billion she seems to have plucked out of thin air :rolleyes:

How do you feel about the 1c tax on texting? Is it worth it for €91 million? The govt would probably spend it on helicopter rides and junkets in no time anyway.

togster

I suggest a tax on recession threads tbh

MagicMarker

It's a good idea actually.

I don't send texts though.

We should add an extra few euro onto smokes.

spadder

Not a bad idea, I also propose a €10 tax on saying "ohmyGawd"

shanethemofo

Great idea if they promise to put the money back into improving communication infrastructure imho.
Use the money to take out cases against all major bband suppliers *Cough Eircom Cough* for shocking service.

Sizzler

togster wrote: »

I suggest a tax on recession threads tbh

You were the first to mention the recession in this thread, take a bow.

TheZohanS

MagicMarker wrote: »

It's a good idea actually.

I don't send texts though.

We should add an extra few euro onto smokes.

Why not stop there, put an extra tenner on a pint and and extra fiver on bus journeys, and put 3c on emails.

MagicMarker

TheZohan wrote: »

Why not stop there, put an extra tenner on a pint and and extra fiver on bus journeys, and put 3c on emails.

Well, I don't really drink, I have a car, and I rarely send emails.

Good shtuff zohan.

Topmail

Very good idea,why not 2c per text and a property tax on all second home owners

Big Wave

* Put €10 on wearing pyjamas outside the house.
* €30 tax on every pack of cigarettes.
* €20 tax on failing to signal properly on a roundabout.
* €20 stupidity tax on putting “L” plates up the wrong way around (backwards, sideways, on the bonnet, etc)
* €10 tax on saying "pacific" as a mispronunciation of "specific"
* €40 tax on blowing a whistle in a nightclub.

BaconZombie

I suggest a tax on stupid not researched ideas from politicians......

Boskowski

I suggest we rather have a coup d'etat, fk all the useless idiots out of town and then reorganize the country. Like do away with all the stupid consultants with government contracts, feck the quangos out the door, let the banks go against the wall and in general look after the interest of the people for a change as opposed to look after the people who pay the best bribes.

That would raise serious moneys.

cogITere

Heard this news early this morning, The Deputy was ever so PROUD of this idea and the money it will bring into the government purse.

Was unaware of the miscalculation until the opening post, but I would reckon that even using last years SMS numbers would be an error, as I know for sure that I and assume many more would restrict their use of SMS out of principle if a tax was attached.
We are already paying tax, namely VAT, on all mobile phone bills, which includes text messaging.

I just hope that the folks who elected this Deputy remember this foolishness in the next election and leave her free to foin the growing dole queue.

Mr E

I send 99% of my texts from my desktop, so tax away, Mary.
Knock your green little socks off.

hobochris

this is a very good idea, I don't mind paying an extra couple of cents per text message... If it helps get the country out of this mess.

TheZohan wrote: »

put 3c on emails.

It wouldn't work, the nature of email and how send and receiving email works means it would be impossible to implement, sure you could get isp's to tax any traffic on port 25 etc.. but people will just use another port.

Gone Drinking

Mr E wrote: »

I send 99% of my texts from my desktop, so tax away, Mary.
Knock your green little socks off.

Cool for you, but some of the rest of us like going outside!

Dord

We already pay tax on text messages. Stupid bloody government!

Topmail

Put a tax on all cats!!!!:D

Dord

What about a lolcat tax?

Padraig Mor

cogITere wrote: »

Heard this news early this morning, The Deputy was ever so PROUD of this idea and the money it will bring into the government purse..

Remember this is the daft bint who suggested introducing a special "driving licence for grannies"!

starflake

I have free texts for life on meteor and free calls for life once I top up 20euro a month... think I'm safe enough yeah?

Mr E

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Cool for you, but some of the rest of us like going outside!

I actually have a job at the moment, so I'm sitting in front of a PC all day. When I'm unemployed I'll get outside more, I promise.

biko

I suggest all TDs take a wage cut to standard factory worker level. That 91 million right there.

Caoimhín

A tax on stupidity would be nice.

JerryQ

The biggest users of texting are children. Typical of this government - aim a tax at the weakest in society.

Sizzler

Big Wave wrote: »

* Put €10 on wearing pyjamas outside the house.
* €30 tax on every pack of cigarettes.
* €20 tax on failing to signal properly on a roundabout.
* €20 stupidity tax on putting “L” plates up the wrong way around (backwards, sideways, on the bonnet, etc)
* €10 tax on saying "pacific" as a mispronunciation of "specific"
* €40 tax on blowing a whistle in a nightclub.

€100 Tax on Cars with "NO FEAR" stickers across the front windscreen.
€50 Tax on Hoodies
€30 Tax on LeCoq Sportif tracksuits
€50 Tax on Nike Air Max
€100 Tax on skanger names like Beyoncé / Rihanna / Britney / Ibiza etc.
€1000 tax on fake tanning. I mean TOTALLY loike OMG.

A tiered tax system on every punter arrested and charged before the courts in lieu of police and court time they have wasted, the more serious the crime the bigger the fine.

Let out all the petty / non-threatening / white collar crims that are clogging up the jails and get them out doing community service.

A few starters for ten

connundrum

According to the Examiner, 2 billion texts were sent in the last quarter of 2008.

If we assume that trends stay similar, 8 billion texts x 1c = €80m.

Either myself or the highly paid elected official has got their figures wrong.

Probably me

Edit - apologies for challenging the OP's figures too.

towel401

if you put a tax on email nobody will use it anymore and they will all use freaking facebook instead. u dont want that now do you?

wyndham

Special annual levy on postcount for boards.ie members@ 10c per post. :pac:

connundrum

wyndham wrote: »

Special annual levy on postcount for boards.ie members@ 10c per post. :pac:

GTFO!

Sizzler

connundrum wrote: »

According to the Examiner, 2 billion texts were sent in the last quarter of 2008.

If we assume that trends stay similar, 8 billion texts x 1c = €80m.

Either myself or the highly paid elected official has got their figures wrong.

Probably me

Dont be so harsh friend.

The bowl Mary White got it orseways, she was struggling for the cupla focal live on air this morning. She admitted she hadnt "drilled into the figures". 1.4 Billion she reckoned she could coin in, LOL. Shes really earning her 100k a year isnt she?

is_that_so

George Lee suggested this a while ago on Morning Ireland and I've no doubt that others have also mentioned it long in advance of Ms White. As a tax it's a relatively painless one. If you don't text you don't pay.

_feedback_

is_that_so wrote: »

George Lee suggested this a while ago on Morning Ireland and I've no doubt that others have also mentioned it long in advance of Ms White. As a tax it's a relatively painless one. If you don't text you don't pay.

But why should anyone have to "not text" there is already tax on phone bills. They are looking for an easy money spinner, the same as fags and booze. These f*ckin fools we have in there really drive me nuts sometimes.

Mr. Incognito

Problem isn't raising money but what the wastefull little feckers do when they get it imo

Wagon

MagicMarker wrote: »

We should add an extra few euro onto smokes.

for **** sake, shut up.

Professey Chin

Wagon wrote: »

for **** sake, shut up.

Yeah shut up about that few euro.Make it more then a few

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

we could just sell a county to another country, that should raise the 1.4 billion and only a small percentage of the country has to suffer:D

who to sell......

Professey Chin

Nalani Melodic Pinprick wrote: »

we could just sell a county to another country, that should raise the 1.4 billion and only a small percentage of the country has to suffer:D

who to sell......

Poland?

homerun_homer

But what if you're txts are free, like mine with O2 for life to any Network. They can't start charging me now after promising that. I don't mind 1c texts if it helped but then it goes against what I was promised as a consumer.

Also, I love how drink sales are down 6%. They are always trying to get us to calm down on our drinking, reduce closing hours of clubs and pubs and now they realise they want to get us to buy more alcohol or else more jobs will be lost. Stupid feicin Government.

Caoimhín

Sizzler wrote: »

€100 Tax on Cars with "NO FEAR" stickers across the front windscreen.
€50 Tax on Hoodies
€30 Tax on LeCoq Sportif tracksuits
€50 Tax on Nike Air Max
€100 Tax on skanger names like Beyoncé / Rihanna / Britney / Ibiza etc.
€1000 tax on fake tanning. I mean TOTALLY loike OMG.

A tiered tax system on every punter arrested and charged before the courts in lieu of police and court time they have wasted, the more serious the crime the bigger the fine.

Let out all the petty / non-threatening / white collar crims that are clogging up the jails and get them out doing community service.

A few starters for ten

Sizzler, i like your ideas. Can we be friends?

is_that_so

elviscostello wrote: »

But why should anyone have to "not text" there is already tax on phone bills. They are looking for an easy money spinner, the same as fags and booze. These f*ckin fools we have in there really drive me nuts sometimes.

Life can go on without all of the above. As proposals goes it is one of the less painful ones. Not happy with the buggers myself but we are in serious need of lots and lots of cash. It's that collective pain idea that's being bounced around.

chin_grin

(Hope this hasn't been mentioned before) Suppose the phrase "taxt messaging" could catch on all right.

Also have you noticed all this air about and we're getting it for free? FREE! Hmm.

SV

The only reason people text half as much is cos it's normally free.


Another great idea by our amazing government.
fúck off already.

IvaBigWun

Dord wrote: »

What about a lolcat tax?

GTFO.

Professey Chin

ClioV6 wrote: »

fúck off already.

Fine im goin


bakstard:mad:

hal9000

how about we put a list of what isnt taxed (short list!) and just tax that!
like a tax for wearing puffy directing pants
oh wait.....another tax for not wearing puffy directing pants!

Borneo Fnctn

I think we need a tax on stupid ideas.

SV

jackpalance wrote: »

I think we need a tax on stupid ideas.

Fianna Fáil is gonna pull us out of this recession after all..

CamperMan

Topmail wrote: »

Put a tax on all cats!!!!:D

balls to that, nothing wrong with cats.

TAX on dogs and dog owners, the bigger, uglier and noisier the dog, the higher the tax!!

Pighead

What about a tax on threads? IvaBigWun could single handedly save the country in a week.

Dubh Geannain

if you drive a car, I'll tax the street; if you try to sit, I'lll tax your seat;
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat; If you take a walk, I'lll tax your feet

yeahh, I'm the taxman :pac: