Canada to Raise Tariffs on Recordable Media

Joel Ironstone writes: "A new Canadian levy will be introduced in 2003 on all recordable media (pdf). The magnitude of these tariffs is staggering: $1.23 for all CD-RW's, $2.27 on all DVD-R's, and get this: $21 for each gigabyte of storage on portable MP3 players. That's an extra 160 dollars for a Nomad." Like in the U.S., this tax is collected and given directly to the record industry, a governmental subsidy for no apparent societal benefit.

Comments

Another case of Too Much Government

[Quebst]

I find it funny that government interference is so selective in this forum. For instance, when it is CD-R's which are being taxed it is a horrible justice, yet when it is microsoft whose only crime (at least its only crime which is being prosecuted) is the fact that it is too big, the people come out in force on how the government isn't doing enough. When will people realize that an economy with ANY government intervention cannot be just?

Societal Benifit

[t_allardyce]

a governmental subsidy for no apparent societal benefit

wrong, the recording industry are people too. They need money to buy their crack, and if they get down from their high then they might become dangerous - at the moment, a drugged up producer with lots of cash to spare is only going to bribe the government for one thing - a means to make more money for more drugs. Now look what happens when they start to sober-up they want more things, like the DMCA, and SSSCA, the government has to comply because they are being offered allot of money, and we all know how people like Bush like their money....