1c tax on texts.

squod

I'm shure it would raise about €14bn for the Irish German economy and keep uncle fester out of trouble with the ECB.

Could ratchet it up a notch and put 2c charge for downloading candy crush? Has to be €10bn to be made out of that, no?

SV

I couldn't afford it.
Ran out of free texts there a couple of weeks ago and spent 42 euro credit in the space of 2 days.

Mushy

squod wrote: »

I'm shure it would raise about €14bn for the Irish German economy and keep uncle fester out of trouble with the ECB.

Could ratchet it up a notch and put 2c charge for downloading candy crush? Has to be €10bn to be made out of that, no?

A 2c charge on downloading a game will yield a return of 10b in a population of 4.5 million....I'm gonna go with no!

shruikan2553

Do the green party do anything that doesnt involve thinking of a stupid tax? How can they even come up with an excuse for that? Each text sent is taking money away from eircom so we want the money!

IM0

in fairness its not like its a 20c rise in bus fares

Frosty McSnowballs

Put 10c tax onto all TD's lies.

We'd be feckin' loaded!

squod

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Do the green party do anything that doesnt involve thinking of a stupid tax? How can they even come up with an excuse for that? Each text sent is taking money away from eircom so we want the money!

Ah now, in fairness they do.

Stopping dodgy transfers between Ireland and Bermuda should improve our tax take and international reputation.

Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan said today: "The Government should stop defending some of the worst corporate tax loopholes at the G8 meeting in Fermanagh next week. Their approach to date has been embarrassing and will not work.

All the dodgy transfers between Ireland and Germany, they're grand like. Don't touch them.

Renegade Mechanic

IM0 wrote: »

in fairness its not like its a 20c rise in bus fares

Yeah but most people only use the bus twice a day. Far more texts are sent im sure.

IM0

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

Yeah but most people only use the bus twice a day. Far more texts are sent im sure.

fairly sure most people dont text 40 times a day either

NinjaTruncs

Do the greens still exist?

And that article is 4 years old.

My name is URL

I've always thought that this wasn't a terrible idea for a 'tax'. Bit late to be thinking about implementing it now though, with more and more people using Viber and the likes instead of SMS.

shruikan2553

squod wrote: »

Ah now, in fairness they do.



All the dodgy transfers between Ireland and Germany, they're grand like. Don't touch them.

Thats an improvement, its only an opinion about taxes. They must be fun running up to an election.

"How will you get us out of this recession?"
Tax

"A new tax or increase in taxes?"
Tax

"You want to tax tax?"
....Yes

kjl

SV wrote: »

I couldn't afford it.
Ran out of free texts there a couple of weeks ago and spent 42 euro credit in the space of 2 days.

Have you heard of whatsapp?

krudler

SV wrote: »

I couldn't afford it.
Ran out of free texts there a couple of weeks ago and spent 42 euro credit in the space of 2 days.

Whatsapp? Viber? every network does plans with unlimited texts now as well

SV

kjl wrote: »

Have you heard of whatsapp?

krudler wrote: »

Whatsapp? Viber? every network does plans with unlimited texts now as well

I don't have a smartphone so viber and whatsapp are no good to me.

yes, the plan I was on was unlimited texts, they run out at the end of the month and I hadn't bought more credit yet so didn't have free texts anymore.

kneemos

SV wrote: »

I don't have a smartphone so viber and whatsapp are no good to me.

yes, the plan I was on was unlimited texts, they run out at the end of the month and I hadn't bought more credit yet so didn't have free texts anymore.

Write a letter.

wexie

SV wrote: »

I don't have a smartphone so viber and whatsapp are no good to me.

yes, the plan I was on was unlimited texts, they run out at the end of the month and I hadn't bought more credit yet so didn't have free texts anymore.

Knine

Eh no I already pay tax on my phone bill.

SpaceTime

Two problems :

1) A huge volume of texts are not charged for individually. People have text bundles, inclusive allowances, free texts to people on the and network etc etc

2) the volume of texts would decrease as people moved to instant messaging services like iMessage, Google HangOuts, Viber, WhatsApp etc etc

And we already pay 23% VAT on our texts and the mobile operators pay corporation tax, prsi, and various huge sums to the state to licence spectrum (radio frequencies) to run their services all of which end up passed on in our bills.

They can feck off with their stupid, regressive taxes!

I'd just call this proposal a 'regressive taxation on communication services to service bankers' benevolent fund'

These kinds of taxes are regressive too and but poorer people hardest.

Renegade Mechanic

IM0 wrote: »

fairly sure most people dont text 40 times a day either

Lol I thought so too but some younger people really opened my eyes on how,many texts they send! Though i will reckon the numbers should decline now most everyone in on the internet and the like.

marketty

A tax on posts would tidy this place up a lot

wretcheddomain

Just add 1c to every product purchased, every text sent, every service used, every flight purchased ad infinitum. Simple.

It gets rid of things being .99c

SV

kneemos wrote: »

Write a letter.

and the price of stamps? ya mad?

wexie wrote: »

For the month they're unlimited.

michellie

I'd say I send about 5 texts a week. But about 5000 whatsapp messages/pictures a week.

humbert

Texts? Anybody still sending texts deserves to be taxed. The tax should be 20 cent minus the number of vowels used.

SV

humbert wrote: »

Texts? Anybody still sending texts deserves to be taxed. The tax should be 20 cent minus the number of vowels used.

you do realise that 'txtspk' is not neccesary to actually send a text and I'd the say most adults don't use it?

humbert

SV wrote: »

you do realise that 'txtspk' is not neccesary to actually send a text and I'd the say most adults don't use it?

Can you use capital letters too?

SV

humbert wrote: »

Can you use capital letters too?

when I feel that they're neccesary, yes.

squod

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Just add 1c to every product purchased, every text sent, every service used, every flight purchased ad infinitum. Simple.

It gets rid of things being .99c

Add a euro to very product purchased. Create massive number of jobs internships in the '€3 shop' industry.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

squod wrote: »

I'm shure it would raise about €14bn for the Irish German economy and keep uncle fester out of trouble with the ECB.

Could ratchet it up a notch and put 2c charge for downloading candy crush? Has to be €10bn to be made out of that, no?

If the OP hadn't have been so childishly immature in blaming the people of Germany for our excesses then I would probably agree that this would be a relativley painless way of raising badly needed revenue.


Oh I forgot the Germans made us all by BMW;s and second homes in Spain,Hungary, and Montenegro....thats right its all their fault!

UCDVet

This keeps happening, and it really depresses me.

In our increasingly digital world, there are certain distinctions that don't make sense. *What* is a text message? No seriously. When everyone has a smart-phone with a 10gb data plan and wiFi available all over.

How is a 'text message' different from any other data your cell phone sends?

Fundamentally, it isn't. You can emulate a text message, trivially, with countless other applications.

When you artificially impose a cost on doing things, people will very quickly stop doing it, when there is a logically equivalent alternative. By the time a tax like this was implemented, the number of people without alternatives to text messaging would be rapidly approaching zero.

Hell, I could write an app that sends text messages via picture mail. Tax law circumvented.

humbert

UCDVet wrote: »

This keeps happening, and it really depresses me.

In our increasingly digital world, there are certain distinctions that don't make sense. *What* is a text message? No seriously. When everyone has a smart-phone with a 10gb data plan and wiFi available all over.

How is a 'text message' different from any other data your cell phone sends?

Fundamentally, it isn't. You can emulate a text message, trivially, with countless other applications.

When you artificially impose a cost on doing things, people will very quickly stop doing it, when there is a logically equivalent alternative. By the time a tax like this was implemented, the number of people without alternatives to text messaging would be rapidly approaching zero.

Hell, I could write an app that sends text messages via picture mail. Tax law circumvented.

So, a sort of Luddite tax?

squod

Old and grey wrote: »

If the OP hadn't have been so childishly immature in blaming the people of Germany for our excesses then I would probably agree that this would be a relativley painless way of raising badly needed revenue.


Oh I forgot the Germans made us all by BMW;s and second homes in Spain,Hungary, and Montenegro....thats right its all their fault!

Heads up. This is the twentieth or thirtieth time this thread has popped up in AH. What I'm doing is locally known as ''taking the piss''. You being so much older and wiser than me, you probably already knew that.

For the record. I don't blame the Germans. I only blame Cowen, the dept of finance, the central bank and some assorted other fuhkers. None of whom are German.

Also, what the fuhk is this ''our excesses'' nonsense?

SpaceTime

SV wrote: »

you do realise that 'txtspk' is not neccesary to actually send a text and I'd the say most adults don't use it?

Not only that but it's actually really hard to use 'txtspk' on a smartphone as they've a QWERTY touch keypad and predict the words you're trying to type.

Also, because more people have text bundles or are using IM services, nobody's squishing their message into 160 characters anymore either.

Duggy747

Bit late for that craìc now, isn't it, when there's so many ways of communicating?

O2 webtext is all I use anyways, buy credit so rarely that O2 stop calling me about offers / chaning price plans because "Well......there's nothing we can really give you considering what little you're spending!" :pac:

Johnodot

Someone in the US jokingly had the idea at the BEGINNING of April. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/04/01/as-deficit-soars-congress-suggests-new-tax-on-text-messages/

Any tax will generate the same outcome as the tax on plastic bags - will be replaced by something else, like using various Apps. But you SMS is not a pollutant.

We need less government, not more

uch

Johnodot wrote: »

Someone in the US jokingly had the idea at the BEGINNING of April. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/04/01/as-deficit-soars-congress-suggests-new-tax-on-text-messages/

Any tax will generate the same outcome as the tax on plastic bags - will be replaced by something else, like using various Apps. But you SMS is not a pollutant.

We need less government, not more

Jaysus !

lintdrummer

The article in the OP is from 2009, a fact made more obvious by the reference in the first line to the now deceased Brian Lenihan having pressure put on him.

Seriously, what do people be doing on t'internets to drag up these ancient news stories? OP how did you find this?

Fr_Dougal

Johnodot wrote: »

Someone in the US jokingly had the idea at the BEGINNING of April. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/04/01/as-deficit-soars-congress-suggests-new-tax-on-text-messages/

Any tax will generate the same outcome as the tax on plastic bags - will be replaced by something else, like using various Apps. But you SMS is not a pollutant.

We need less government, not more

Yea...the BEGINNING of APRIL....as in April 1st...geddit?

Tar.Aldarion

people dont pay for texts like that, they come with their plan durrrr

Annasopra

SpaceTime wrote: »

Two problems :

1) A huge volume of texts are not charged for individually. People have text bundles, inclusive allowances, free texts to people on the and network etc etc

2) the volume of texts would decrease as people moved to instant messaging services like iMessage, Google HangOuts, Viber, WhatsApp etc etc

And we already pay 23% VAT on our texts and the mobile operators pay corporation tax, prsi, and various huge sums to the state to licence spectrum (radio frequencies) to run their services all of which end up passed on in our bills.

They can feck off with their stupid, regressive taxes!

I'd just call this proposal a 'regressive taxation on communication services to service bankers' benevolent fund'

These kinds of taxes are regressive too and but poorer people hardest.

In addition to that Deaf people would use texts more than hearing people so you are specifically targeting and disadvantaging them with this proposal.

The_Valeyard

Would ya F*ck off with more taxes and do not be giving the government more ideas!!!

Johnodot

Johnodot wrote: »

Someone in the US jokingly had the idea at the BEGINNING of April. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/04/01/as-deficit-soars-congress-suggests-new-tax-on-text-messages/

Any tax will generate the same outcome as the tax on plastic bags - will be replaced by something else, like using various Apps. But you SMS is not a pollutant.

We need less government, not more

There are ideas floating about at the moment to tax SMSs. My point is that it would be a joke to do so.

BetterThanThou

SV wrote: »

you do realise that 'txtspk' is not neccesary to actually send a text and I'd the say most adults don't use it?

Not even the majority of adults, I can say as a 16 year old that anyone who still uses text speak gets laughed at in this day and age.

spank_inferno

Or.... Or...
wait.for it....

instead of more tax how about we try less government instead.

That would work out much better I reckon.

Rabies

mango salsa wrote: »

In addition to that Deaf people would use texts more than hearing people so you are specifically targeting and disadvantaging them with this proposal.

Before texts they would have used pen and paper more. Should it be cheaper for them back then too?

smash

Let them at it. With iMessage and whatsapp, I can't remember the last time I actually sent a text.

SpaceTime

Well, I can 100% guarantee you that if they go ahead and attempt something like this they will be signing their own political futures away as they'll completely alienate a large % of the population and create a media s**t storm the likes of which they will not recover from. It'll just make the rollout of the new drinking water tax even more painful.

Also, they'll come face-to-face with some of the largest and best-equipped global telecommunications corporations in the world who will undoubtedly actively lobby in the media against this.
The likes of Vodafone and Hutchison Whampoa (3) have more lobbying and PR resources available to them than the government and are far more capable of using it effectively.

I mean, personally speaking, I would never vote for either Labour or FG again if something like this were to go ahead. It's petty and it will backfire horribly.

Very few people pay individually for texts these days. They're mostly bundles of hundreds, unlimited or at the very least same-network free texts.

Also, what's next? Tax free speech?? Chat on the bus - it'll cost you €1.95.

We already pay 23% VAT on every telecommunication service we use and a fecking "media licence" to fund RTE which will soon apply to every household.
Not only that, the companies providing these services pay corporation tax, employer PRSI and employ people and they paid enormous money for spectrum licenses to operate their services.

The state already gets a huge chunk of what we spend on our mobile bills / top-ups.

Why exactly would they chase after text messages other than they're something that there's a lot of and that they can count?

The net result would be that all traffic would disappear to WhatsApp, Viber, iMessage and other online services and even the VAT revenue that was previously being made on mobile bills for the SMS packages / individual SMS messages would disappear.

The mobile networks would also see revenue reductions as more people stopped using SMS and either just called more (ties up more network resources) or more likely moved to online services. So that means the state loses even more corporation tax.

Self-defeating nonsense that the people proposing haven't even thought through.

SpaceTime

I'd like to propose a tax on TDs and Senators floating ridiculous ideas that cause increases in the national blood pressure.

2% of salary for every stupid suggestion like this?

readyletsgo

HAte SMS txt, I have a HTC and it slows down when I open a noraml txt. Long live Whatsapp and the like!

Stupid 4 years ago Greens.....

Caliden

The quoted article is 4 years old, why are people still replying that this is new news?