France Considers 'Pirate Tax' For Online Ads

angry tapir writes "A report commissioned by the French Minister of Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, urges the introduction of a tax on online advertising such as that carried by Google, which would be used to pay the creators of artistic and other works that lose out to online piracy."

still not enough

[chichilalescu]

I sincerely believe that they should tax mp3 players more, because we all know people use them to listen to stolen music. And they should tax headphones more. And they should tax trains and buses and the subway, because that's where people use mp3 players. And I think the best way to handle it would be to tax all people who are not deaf, because they can hear music. Also, deaf people who can read, because some books talk about music, and you never know.

great idea

[cyborch]

<sarcasm>

Make companies who actually make money online pay for those companies which do not understand how to make money online...

</sarcasm>

Re:still not enough

[pmontra]

Everybody knows that people use web browsers to look for illegal downloads on torrent sites so let's tax browsers. Wait, there are free browsers so how about taxing links? Web sites will pay for every link clicked. Wait, some web sites are free to use (mine is one of them) so let's tax only per profit sites. Every per profit site to report clicks to the French government in 3... 2... 1...

Completely unrelated...

[geckipede]

My perpetual motion business is doing very badly. I propose that in order to maintain this valuable source of employment, schools, laboratories, universities and libraries are all taxed. They keep discouraging my investors...

Re:Completely unrelated...

[Goffee71]

But, my friend, the French what-will-we-tax-next office is always in motion, so I think they've beaten you to it.

Re:still not enough

[codeButcher]

Now you're making way too much sense for a politician.

Re:So Google will support AdBlock+ ...

[sakdoctor]

How about taxing run-on sentences.

Adblocking...

[SharpFang]

...will be a crime of tax evasion.

Re:The old Motto:

[ta bu shi da yu]

I have a better idea. Impose a tax on undertakers because murder causes enormous harm and economic loss to society.

Re:The old Motto:

[JustOK]

I use CD Arrs for pirated stuff.

Re:The old Motto:

[MBaldelli]

I have a better idea. Impose a tax on undertakers because murder causes enormous harm and economic loss to society.

I have a better idea, I say we tax stupidity. Then Legislators and common man alike will have to pay taxes for the stupidest ideas on the planet. Imagine how quick deficits would be taken care of if 2 cents a day were taxed to people making up stupid ideas like this.

Re:The old Motto:

[lena_10326]

Oh, and the word is paid. </obgrammarnazi>

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