The Toronto Star has a collection of comments sent by readers about the ISP tax proposed by the Songwriters Association of Canada. Is $5 a month a good deal for unlimited file-sharing? Either the "no" side of the debate was the only one to write in, or the editors filtered the responses. In either case, it's clear many Canadians don't like the idea.

What a creatively Canadian idea - add yet another tax to the users of the Internet to cover the cost of music downloads. While you are at it, you'd better add a couple of dollars for the movies we download, and another buck for the TV shows. Rather than try to come up with a solution on music distribution, the best the recording industry can come up with is a $5 tax? Get your head out of the sand and join the rest of us in the 21st century, and think of something original. This may be perhaps, the stupidest idea I've heard of in a very long time.

And this one:

Five dollars a month is more than I've spent on music in years and I haven't downloaded one note. Other than a few CDs to give as gifts, I get my music on the radio. I know it's archaic but the alternative is a financial drain. They should, therefore, keep their hands off my Internet fees since my Internet is not part of the music industry's problem.

In some quarters the idea of an ISP tax makes so much sense people cannot understand why it has not yet been implemented. They should read through these 61 comments. These negative and often angry reactions are exactly what politicians will hear in the future, and they amount to a considerable roadblock to any plan for a mandatory tax.

There is a panel discussion on the ISP tax proposal tonight at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Posted by Glenn at 2:00 PM | Link
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