UK Government to Tax Linux? 343
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 (Score:5, Funny)
Re:OMG (Score:5, Funny)
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
Re:OMG (Score:2, Funny)
Re:OMG (Score:2)
But, even though it does top that crap, it still sucks.
Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:5, Funny)
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:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:2, Funny)
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
Re:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:3, Informative)
Oh yes, my government can.
If you build a house in my country, and get help from a volunteering friend, you have to be extremely careful to avoid paying VAT on his/her services. The government will assess the house, and calculate a higher VAT amount if they think that you haven't payed enough.
Re:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:3, Informative)
What? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What? (Score:2)
In other news, SCO has announced their lawsuit against IBM and Linux users was all an elaborate April Fools joke. SCO CEO Darl McBride was quoted as saying "0mfG!!! lol0lol! st00p1d l4m3rz n00bz we r 0n1y fucking w/u!!!".
Re:What? (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, I heard that they stole all the code from SCO.
RTFA (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Even a 100% tax is ok (Score:5, Informative)
There was an attempt in Poland to tax linux this way. The thinking behind it was that if it is a gift for a commercial entity, than said entity has to pay Donation and Inheritance tax for it. And the base for this tax wouldn't be the price paid (zero). As it is with all donations, the base for the purpose of taxation is normal market price. Polish Revenue Service wanted it to be price of MS Office for OOo and price of Win NT/2k for Linux system.
Now, this news we are writing about is April 1st, but the history with trying to tax Linux, Open Office etc in Poland was true. Luckily it failed, although Finance Ministry didn't issue official statement or act about it in order to not tie hands of some enterprising clerks in revenue service.
Unfortunatelly I cannot find anything about it in English. If you know Polish google for site:linuxnews.pl podatek [google.pl]
Robert
Poland's Free Software Tax Proposal [in English] (Score:4, Informative)
Here's an English edition of the story: Poland: It's official! Tax for Free Software [2000-11-20] [linuxtoday.com].
That sucks (Score:5, Funny)
eDrugTrader disagrees (Score:5, Funny)
tax it all you want... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:tax it all you want... (Score:3, Funny)
I make that
Re:tax it all you want... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:tax it all you want... (Score:4, Interesting)
I wanted to give my niece my old car. The car was a piece of junk, but it was a running piece of junk. If I were to "give" her the car, then the state would charge her tax on what it estimates it's value to be, which I'm told was between $750-$1500... basicly base price for a running car. Tax in her region would have been 8.5% if i'm not mistaken... plus misc fees and such. Fair and reasonable, but still a $63.75 fee + misc other fees involved in the transfer of a car and yearly taxes.
Even selling it to her for $1.00 the state would be skeptical as to whether this was an honest deal, or a trick to avoid paying sales tax. I had to sign an statement of the car's value. Which was fine by me.. I signed a statement saying "it's had accidents, it has over 350,000 miles on it, family $1.00, non family $100.00".
The point is you can tax things with no value, or little value. It could be a flat non percent tax, or a tax of what the goverment believes the value should be.
Thank God! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Thank God! (Score:3, Funny)
Great (Score:5, Funny)
What next? Sexual Enjoyment Tax??
Re:Great (Score:5, Funny)
What next? Sexual Enjoyment Tax??
No, I think most /.ers would be immune from that one...
Bernie :o)
Re:Great (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Great (Score:2)
Re:Great (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Great (Score:5, Funny)
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:Great (Score:3, Funny)
lol
thingy! (Score:4, Funny)
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
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:Great (Score:2)
They'll rethink that one when they get a dripping manilla envelope filled with used condoms and one bloody clown suit.
Now's one of those time you wish they had a mod for -1 Fucking Nasty, isn't it?
Re:Great (Score:5, Funny)
You're not married, are you?
Some of us already pay that.
(You insensitive clod!)
Re:Great (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Great (Score:2, Funny)
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
Re:Great (Score:2)
I wish they would "loose" some money on me.
Very cute. (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd dearly love to see Forbes get suckered by this one. They've been such dorks about anything to do with Linux, it would be par for the course. It looks like they bought [forbes.com] the Google mail story hook, line and sinker.
Re:Very cute. (Score:2)
Re:Very cute. (Score:2)
From the Google Lunar Job Page [google.com].
Re:Very cute. (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, it's true [forbes.com]
And hey look, Slashdot got a mention;
Re:Very cute. (Score:2)
Early adopters, loud opinions, and lazy journalists. Great combo.
Re:Very cute. (Score:2)
If they ever offered such a service, I'd sign up for an account (maybe several) right away. And I'd never use it for correspondence. I'd use it for high volume data transfers, using those 10gig attachments.
Re:Very cute. (Score:2)
I meant 10meg.
Gotta learn to preview more carefully.
Forbes-Lyons is at it again; check this link (Score:2)
Not Funny (Score:2)
Anyone familiar with the use of emminent domain to seize low value property and give it to private developers to turn into something worth some property taxes?
Re:Not Funny (Score:2)
Yup, if there was only some way to do that to some of the projects here in New Orleans....take out some of the crime hotspots in the middle of the city.
They're actually doing a little of this, tearing them down, and making mixed income areas out of them...subsidized housing for low income people that WANT to be good neighbors, and work (no drugs and gangs)...and up to $200K houses all together.
But, it just i
April Fools .... again? (Score:2)
Come on, enough is enough. This one is so bad that I don't even have to look at the references to know its an April Fools joke.
In other news, Habitat for Humanity... (Score:2)
As a member of the Union of Concerned Carpenters, I applaud this new policy.
California already collects tax on Linux (Score:5, Funny)
let charge by & (Score:2)
Otherwise, its not a fair tax.
The problem with April Fools Day stories (Score:2)
This one isn't a joke (Score:2, Informative)
Personally I welcome the tax, I think it will even out the playing field a bit and create competition.
Re:This one isn't a joke (Score:2)
The other option is... (Score:2)
It's not like they don't overcharge in other regions to more than make up for it.
If it only was a joke (Score:5, Interesting)
Fortunately all media ridiculed this idea and they backed off.
Argh (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
New poll - how many April Fools jokes is enough? (Score:2)
I'm not surprised (Score:2)
Re:I'm not surprised (Score:2)
You remember correctly but have been misinformed. The colonists were probably the least taxed people in history, even the infamous taxed tea cost less than smuggled tea. The tax issue was just a hook on which to hang unspecified grievances. The real issue of contention was the colonists wanted to expand westward and the British didn't want to go to war with the native peoples.
Great News! (Score:2)
That would leave the one remaining free-software country with such a HUGH software development advantage that the rest of the world would be lining up to "find out how they did it".
It figures that globalization and free-trade advocates always fuck themselves silly trying to protect corporations that *marginally* have a presence in their host country. These corporations give a rats-ass-not about the host country and do everything possible to drive living
The Brits Would Tax Your TV If They Could... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The Brits Would Tax Your TV If They Could... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The Brits Would Tax Your TV If They Could... (Score:2)
Microsoft wants this. (Score:3, Funny)
Here's my take on it... (Score:2)
Tax this, mutherf'r.
I've had enough... (Score:2)
What? Taco's doing it too? Uh... wake me up tomorrow.
Great day for bad news (Score:5, Insightful)
-
Time to tax IE and all of the other free software. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Time to tax IE and all of the other free softwa (Score:2)
However, Linux users don't want to know what the special assesments will be for
I don't remember ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I don't remember ... (Score:2)
Re:I don't remember ... (Score:3, Insightful)
April fools and big pranks are still funny depending on the situation. Just not at slashdot.
If it can be taxed, donations can be deducted! (Score:3, Insightful)
What will the UK value each copy at? I would say a complete distribution with software should be valued at $50,000US. So my charitable contributions are easily worth a few million.
This just in... (Score:5, Funny)
Elsewhere, the Queen Mum was heard to exclaim, "Taxation, taxation, taxation! My forefathers believed in it, and look what happened to them!"
Re:This just in... (Score:2)
Forget about her forefathers... Look what happened to her! -She's DEAD!
On a serious note! (Score:2)
In real terms, the amount of money required to create a Linux installation on any give computer is not only actual, but as well.
.
.
.
Furthermore, a tax need not be a percentage of the sales price or a percentage at all, and in this case it certainly follows what is known as a 'Flat Tax' or set dollar amount.
SCO has clearly set the tax for using Linux as $699 per s
I misread it, sorry (Score:2)
Ther're right you know. (Score:2)
SCO Surges (Score:2, Funny)
(Man I wish that was an april fools joke and that SCOX had really crashed, well there's always tomorrow)
Is this April Fools? (Score:2)
The unfortunate part is... (Score:2)
Sheesh (Score:2)
Linux Tax (Score:2)
Okay, how does 10% sound?
Taxman... (Score:2)
Let me tell you how it will be,
There's one for you, nineteen for me,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat,
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.
Taxman.
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Don't ask me what I want it for
(Taxman Mister Wi
How about something small, like 5%? (Score:2)
Worth noting (Score:2)
The author of the Techworld article, Maxwell Cooter, is a friend of Simon Travaglia [ntk.net] -- see the BOFH FAQ [ntk.net].
Hope this puts it in perspective for the easily fooled...
Let me be naive thinking its not an april fools... (Score:2)
bad joke (Score:2)
UK to announce more new taxes. (Score:2)
Scary, huh?
What's next in addition to "air tax," "sex tax"?
A "good teeth" tax? Blonde tax? Blue eyes tax? Tax on talking or tax to move a muscle? Or a think-tax; think and be taxed.
I guess on
Remember... (Score:2)
Re:Looking for a date! (Score:2, Interesting)
WTF?!?!?!
Re:Looking for a date! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:OK, I'm bored (Score:5, Interesting)
Every single April 1st, there's always some git who gets modded up for saying the exact same thing. Slashdot's been running 365/24/7, you can can take a day off for silliness.
Re:OK, I'm bored (Score:2)
Re:OK, I'm bored (Score:5, Funny)
you think that is excessive - maybe you should try working instead of trolling on slashdot. now that, is excessive, my friend.
Re:OK, I'm bored (Score:2)
Oh, and WTF? Five AF posts? Methinks the grandparent poster is behind
SB
(who thru pure happenstance has this day off - only one for the next two weeks *weep*) but who has been *very* busy today *Evil Cackle*
Re:Too bad... (Score:2)
That is *sooo* clever! Did you think of this all by yourself? I've hardly ever seen a post like this here before! I mean, I've seen it for a *lot* of stories, but the way you used it on an April Fools post is genius! You are too clever! I was just reading the posts to this story, thinking *exactly* what you said and *boom*, there it is! You should be modded up a lot for this insightful yet clever post! Maybe even funny! Thank you for this little pearl of