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Japan Considers Taxing of WiFi

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-thats-just-not-very-nice dept.

DoktorTomoe writes "According to an article at Asia Pacific Media Network, Japan plans to introduce a fee for using WLan. The changes necessary for such taxation could be made as early as 2005. "

13 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Tax everything by ajuda · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Isn't this a bit moronic? Find things that make economies more efficient and help spread information and tax them? It's not like wireless costs the government anything to allow. Oh yeah, first post.

    1. Re:Tax everything by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Insightful
      > Isn't this a bit moronic? Find things that make economies more efficient and help spread information and tax them? It's not like wireless costs the government anything to allow.

      You forget the attitude of the bureaucrat towards anything that "makes an economy more efficient" or "helps spread information". First, a flush of raw trembling fear. Then apply The Rules:

      If it doesn't move, tax it.
      If it moves, regulate it until it stops moving.
      Then tax it.

      Remember, anything not nailed down belongs to the government. Anything that can be pried loose by a legislative body is not nailed down.

    2. Re:Tax everything by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually I believe it goes like this:

      1. If it moves, tax it.
      2. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
      3. If it stops moving, subsidize it.

    3. Re:Tax everything by pilgrim23 · · Score: 3, Informative

      The classic example of basic research and its applicability is illustrated by the visit of Prime Minister Gladstone to the laboratory
      of Michael Faraday. Gladstone asked Faraday whether he thought this esoteric substance called "electricity" would ever have any practical uses. Faraday's reply was, "ONE DAY, SIR YOU WILL TAX IT."
      From Editorial in Science 26:735 11 Feb 1994 by Daniel E. Koshland
      Jr.

      --
      - Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
  2. Taxing Wi-FI by wizatcomputer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How can someone but a tax on using Wi-Fi? That would be like putting a tax on the cordless phones, or remote car locks. Stupid, and a cheep way to get some money for the government!

    --
    What's the point of a sig?
  3. Human Life Tax by mfh · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey, when's the oxygen tax coming out? Oh, and I think we should also create a tax for walking anywhere, by counting the steps each person takes and sending them a bill at the end of the month. Could be rolled into the breathing tax, by counting the number of breaths each person takes and adding them together for a Human Life Tax. Or we could just tax Wifi...

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
  4. Wardriving... by k4_pacific · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this mean that the Japanese government is going to take up wardriving to look for violators?

    --
    Unknown host pong.
  5. In Japan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Taxing of WiFi considered... in Japan!

  6. Sex discrimination! by L.+VeGas · · Score: 3, Funny

    A tax on Wifi? What about Hubby?

    --
    Best Windows Freeware
    1. Re:Sex discrimination! by JPelorat · · Score: 4, Funny

      A "Wifey" *is* a Hubby tax.

      --
      Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
  7. tax would be on *hardware*, RTFA! by javaxman · · Score: 4, Informative

    I can't believe all the idiots on /. ...
    They're talking about an extra tax on wifi hardware, not on "usage" per se. The tax would be at time of sale. RTFA, people.

  8. This is unfair as there is no license protection by javaxman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The reason this would be an unfair tax is that it's a tax on transmitters, but not a license for spectrum use.

    The cell-phone frequency example cited in the article puts Joe Japanese Wifi User on par with cell companies. However, cell companies get a slice of spectrum *licensed*, all to themselves. If they find someone transmitting on that frequency other than themselves, they can order them to shut down, and/or take them to court.

    Joe Wifi User gets no such protection. If two guys buy Wifi base stations and set them up next to each other, they both 'payed for the use of the spectrum' and get exactly the same ( no ) protection for the money they've paid. It's just an extra, specific tax on wifi equipment, not any sort of 'spectrum use' fee. A spectrum use fee implies a protected license to use that spectrum. Wifi ain't like that, we're all using the *same* range of frequencies.

  9. Re:Well... by lightknight · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not that we do not have a monopoly on stupid ideas, it's that we export them (so other countries can enjoy the same warm feeling *cough* shaft *cough* of these ideas).

    I guess I wish that the (congressional) debate would move back from "what can we tax?" to "why do we tax?". These days it's less about "Life, Liberty, and Property" than a free-for-all "Everything must go, get your legislation for you and your special interest".

    It's kind of funny what the founding fathers thought of public service: they hated it. The did it, because it needed to be done, but they looked upon the government the same way Bill Gates looks at the DoJ. Now, politicians and beauracrats are treated with great fanfare, as though they are doing something truly great, as opposed to the truth: essentially, they got their position by winning a popularity contest.

    On a side note, does anyone remeber the article a while back, on some obscure law in Florida, whereby they could tax LANs?

    --
    I am John Hurt.