From our front-page news:
It's not too often we can publish good news that actually has to do with legalities, but today is the day. It's been proposed for some time that Canadian's should be charged a secret "tax" on a media player purchase, such as an iPod. Buying the highest-end iPod would result in a ~$75 added tax, which is truly asinine. Such a move would be like suing someone who saved your life because they bruised you when pushing you out of the way of a moving car.
No need to rant though, since the idea has been officially dropped. Despite this "win", it still goes without saying that things could change with regards to other hidden taxes. Canadians already pay a secret tax on blank media, due to potential piracy, and measures are still being pushed to tax purchasers of legal downloadable music. There's an oxymoron for you.
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Technology companies largely stand opposed to such levies, as they are seen as driving prices up and hurting competition, while giving markets in places without levies (like the US) an unfair advantage. Meanwhile, consumers wonder why they need to pay a $75 tax on a 30GB+ music player if they've done nothing wrong.
Source: Ars Technica
No need to rant though, since the idea has been officially dropped. Despite this "win", it still goes without saying that things could change with regards to other hidden taxes. Canadians already pay a secret tax on blank media, due to potential piracy, and measures are still being pushed to tax purchasers of legal downloadable music. There's an oxymoron for you.
<table align="center"><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
Technology companies largely stand opposed to such levies, as they are seen as driving prices up and hurting competition, while giving markets in places without levies (like the US) an unfair advantage. Meanwhile, consumers wonder why they need to pay a $75 tax on a 30GB+ music player if they've done nothing wrong.
Source: Ars Technica
