UK Government to Tax Linux?

An anonymous reader writes "The UK government is looking at introducing a tax aimed at software published under GNU GPL. It claims that because programmers do it for free, it is losing out on income tax and that commercial software companies (read Microsoft) are at a disadvantage. Some pressure group has already put up a website with more details and news site Techworld have got a quote from a Treasury spokesman saying that they're only considering it."

OMG

[Anonymous Coward]

Worst April Fool's article ever

Even a 100% tax is ok

[AtariAmarok]

What is 100% of "free"?

That sucks

[NanoGator]

At least with the Microsoft tax, I get a neat holographic coaster.

IN SOVIET RUSSIA ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux taxes you!

tax it all you want...

[Hooya]

a 100% sales tax on $0 = $0. sheesh.

Thank God!

[Knight Thrasher]

Real news on April 1st! Thank you! And please dear LORD no Open Source Tax!

Great

[Anonymous Coward]

So, a tax on my free time is it?

What next? Sexual Enjoyment Tax??

Re:Great

[bigHairyDog]

What next? Sexual Enjoyment Tax??

No, I think most /.ers would be immune from that one...

Bernie :o)

California already collects tax on Linux

[Texas Rose on Lava L]

The 8% sales tax comes to $55.92 per Linux installation.

eDrugTrader disagrees

[Deraj DeZine]

If you like shiny plastic and psychedelic colors, I would say that your money might have been better spent on hallucinogenic drugs.

Re:Great

[Anonymous Coward]

It's called a wife.

Posted anon because she reads ;-)

Re:Thank God!

[Anonymous Coward]

Real news on April 1st! ...to make up for the bullshit we get on the other 364 days.

Re:Great

[Phekko]

What, in Britain? Don't be daft, nobody enjoys it there ;)

Re:OK, I'm bored

[chef_raekwon]

of the April fools jokes... 5 in one day is excessive.

you think that is excessive - maybe you should try working instead of trolling on slashdot. now that, is excessive, my friend.

Re:Great

[stephenisu]

actually they call it a repetitive stress injury.. or carpal tunnel.

The Brits Would Tax Your TV If They Could...

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

The Brits Would Tax Your TV If They Could...oh wait...

Re:Great

[gellenburg]

Yes.

It would be called the Sexual Enjoyment Tax Initiative.

We will be releasing a distributed client to assist in this endeavour called "SETI@Home".

Have a good day.

Re:tax it all you want...

[Sesostris III]

Er, no. It is 100% tax on $699 surely?

I make that ... $699!

Re:Great

[Anonymous Coward]

its in their best interest to charge you a tax for doing nothing.

Well, this certainly is an issue to be evaluated. Consider the following activities:

- volunteer work: This deprives the government of rightful tax funds as individuals and organizations conspire to provided services often in competition with the government. Better to have you work an extra 20 hours weekly at your job, apply a tax and then have the government provide those charitable services. Not only is volunteerism cheating the government from rightful funds, but it's depriving them of applying all those helpful "strings" and conditions to the money and resources provided to the needy.

- unemployment: What are you unemployed bums doing? Not paying taxes, for certain, if you've had your unemployment benefits lapse. This is shameful citizenship and it needs to be dealt with per firm, forceful action. Unemployed individuals should be taxed $10/hour for every hour under 40 they do not work. This would affect the underemployed as well and motivate them to take that extra gas station or telemarketing job.

You people need to understand that your government has costs. Paying large Senate salaries to Senators who are too busy to show up for work [deanforamerica.com], sending billions of pork to wealthy incumbant telephone companies under the guise of "providing broadband" (new broadband providers meeting the challenge need not apply per the rules - you don't return enough funds to your Congresspersons wallet), etc. all take lots of cash, and if you fools wanna prevent further increases in the deficit, you're gonna have to pay for that free time.

Microsoft wants this.

[rice_burners_suck]

Upon receipt of this news, Bill Gates ordered every lobbyist at Microsoft to stop whatever they're doing and lobby the government for a tax on GPL software in the U.S. as well.

thingy!

[stevenrieder]

Obligatory Monty Python sketch:

Third Official: "Well most things we do for pleasure nowadays are taxed, except one."
Politician: "What do you mean?"
Third Official: "Well, er, smoking's been taxed, drinking's been taxed but not ... thingy."
Politician: "Good Lord, you're not suggesting we should tax... thingy?"
First Official: "Poo poo's?"
Third Official: "No."
First Official: "Thank God for that. Excuse me for a moment." (leaves)
Third Official: "No, no, no - thingy."
Second Official: "Number ones?"
Third Official: "No, thingy."
Politician: "Thingy!"
Second Official: "Ah, thingy. Well it'll certainly make chartered accountancy a much more interesting job."

Re:tax it all you want...

[spoonboy42]

That's totally irrelevant, my friend, as a 100% tax on zero pounds sterling = 0 pounds.

What?

[vwjeff]

Another April Fools article. We all know that Linux is not real. You can't tax something that does not exist. Grow up people.

Re:OMG

[Total_Wimp]

So, are all of the articles today April Fools jokes or are some of them real?

I'm just picturing an out-of-work programer named B0b getting taxed for developing open source missles and then needing to get free food to survive and keep programing. B0b's a tough, dedicated bastard.

TW

This just in...

[GPLDAN]

The UK has decided to Tax performances of Shakespeare in the park. "Giving away performances of Hamlet lowers the box office revenues of England's finest theaters", Tony Blair was heard to say. "It's got to stop, this giving things away. It's anti-Ameri... uh, it's not becoming of the nation."

Elsewhere, the Queen Mum was heard to exclaim, "Taxation, taxation, taxation! My forefathers believed in it, and look what happened to them!"

Re:Even a 100% tax is ok

[M.C. Hampster]

Actually, the reason they can't use the VAT on open source work is that usually, there is no value-added.

Yeah, I got karma to burn.

Re:Great

[Mateito]

> What next? Sexual Enjoyment Tax??

You're not married, are you?
Some of us already pay that.

(You insensitive clod!)

SCO Surges

[adler187]

In related news, gullible SCO investors who read the article have predicted the demise of Linux and have invested heavily in SCO. Just look at the surging [yahoo.com] stock price of SCOX!

(Man I wish that was an april fools joke and that SCOX had really crashed, well there's always tomorrow)

Re:Even a 100% tax is ok

[Hieronymus Howard]

Ah, but it's not 100% of free [newsforge.com]

Re:Looking for a date!

[perdu]

That's cause mod points are now taxed....

Re:OMG

[mentokthemindtaker]

What? Real articles? On Slashdot?

Re:Even a 100% tax is ok

[Shakrai]

Actually, the reason they can't use the VAT on open source work is that usually, there is no value-added.

Ouch! We need a "+1, Great Big Brass Ones" mod. Just to mod-up ballsy posts without giving any karma. Are you listening CmdrTaco [slashdot.org]?

Yeah, I got karma to burn.

Yeah but do you have a shotgun and home security system to defend yourself with when they come after you?

Disclaimer (I do have karma to burn but I don't have a shotgun): I completely disagree with what the parent says but I still wanted to get in my point about the "Great Big Brass Ones" upmod ;)

Re:Great

[w42w42]

Already done. It's called child.

Re:Great

[Bigman]

I have a 'settee at home'.. and it has contributed to my sexual enjoyment at times...

lol

Re:What?

[eclectro]

Another April Fools article. We all know that Linux is not real

Yeah, I heard that they stole all the code from SCO.

Re:OMG

[Anonymous Coward]

But if he doesnt get free food, etc. maybe he'll get RFID tagged :)