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Wireless Industry Supports Government's Opposition to an iPod Tax
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Canada's wireless industry has confirmed its support of the Canadian Government's decision to oppose a new tax on MP3 players and smartphones as part of its copyright legislation. The proposal from opposition politicians is claimed by the government to add C$75 to the price of every mp3 player and smart phone on the market.
In March 2010, Charlie Angus, the NDP's heritage critic, introduced a private member's bill to legally expand the copyright levy to digital recording devices as well as to devices not included in the exisiting Copyright Board's proposals, such as computers and smartphones.
Shortly thereafter, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage considered and adopted a Bloc Québécois motion calling on the government to implement the iPod tax. Committee members from all three opposition parties supported the motion's adoption, while government committee members opposed it.
Based on the previous proposals from the Copyright Board, the iPod tax would increase the cost of the typical iPod or MP3 player by between $25 and $75, depending on the device's storage capacity.
Bernard Lord, President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) said: "This is absolutely the right decision for consumers as the Government moves forward with its digital economy strategy. We don't agree that law-abiding consumers should have to pay twice - once to legally download a song, and once again for the right to play it on a MP3 player or smartphone. There are also lots of uses for digital media players and smartphones that don't involve playing recorded music, and this proposal would have unfairly penalized consumers that way too. The Government definitely got this right."
Tags: [tax] [copyright] [music] [ipod] [wireless] [Canada]
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