Should VoIP Be Taxed?
from the the-question-of-the-day dept
Well, lots of people have been talking about it, but Senator Lamar Alexander yesterday stated publicly that states should be able to tax VoIP system. The problem I have with this is that there seems to be no justification for this whatsoever, other than that states already tax telephone calls. In other words, this is a tax designed solely to boost state revenue – not because it creates some sort of expense that the state covers. It seems like the calls to tax VoIP are more because they can, and not because they should.
Comments on “Should VoIP Be Taxed?”
Taxing VOIP
Nope, should not be taxed. Nothing was provided, nothing should be ‘paid’ for.
This probably will happen anyway, though.
What can I say? Vote Libertarian.
Already *IS* taxed.
1) Sales tax (in some places)
2) FCC taxes on the lines that bring you the internet
No Subject Given
Just allowing something doesn’t automatically necessitate taxing it as well.
The same argument goes for weed.
like all taxes
Like all taxes! What should be taxed anyway?
Remember Colbert’s characterisation of a tax policy? “get the most feathers from the goose with the minimum of hissing.” You tax what and where you can.
VoIP tax, progressive?
I would say yes, because most individuals who would pay for this tax have broadband, and in many cases a fairly recent computer. Thus this tax would target only those who have more than enough money to spend on such a tax. I say its much better than taxing everyone further (including lower middle class families), or cutting needed programs like education, roads, etc.
So what do you want taxed instead?
Less phone calls being made over the PSTN, less tax revenue going into the state coffers. This means that in order to enjoy the services of the state, the tax revenue needs to come from something else. Besides, what this posting is calling VoIP is a poor excuse really. Having designed and installed Tier 1 Carrier Class VoIP (not this computer to computer garbage), I’ll stick with the PSTN connecting to carrier VoIP.
What would you like to be taxed instead?
Look at it this way…I don’t smoke…can’t stand smoking at all, BUT I don’t want to see smoking go away any time soon. Reason being that the smokers pay a large portion of the taxes that I don’t have to pay through their purchases.
Now if only the smokers would actually take responsibility for picking up the habit and pay for their own medical expenses…but that’s another story. Nobody can convince me that they didn’t know that smoking would be bad for them. Ever been on the downwind side of a campfire?
Stepping off the soapbox now.
Re: So what do you want taxed instead?
yeah & perhaps fat people will pick up THEIR share of the medical costs too …
FAT chance