If you happened to put a new iPod under the Christmas tree for someone last month, it may interest you to know that the federal opposition parties are wishing they could have made you pay up to $75 more to buy it.
The opposition parties have come out with a plan to impose a massive new tax on Canadian families that could add up to $75 more to the cost of every iPod you purchase!
And they’re not stopping at your iPod. Since their new tax would apply to any digital device that plays music, they would also like to make Canadians pay much more in the future for personal computers, Blackberries, MP3s and cell phones too.
Our government has proposed a copyright reform bill that would legalize everyday consumer practices, such as using a personal video recorder to store a TV show for later viewing, or making a backup copy of movies and music. But the opposition parties are pushing a new iPod tax following intensive lobbying by groups that hope to extend a fee that’s already being imposed on CDs to include digital devices, to compensate them for materials that may get recorded on digital media.
Obviously, this proposal for a new tax is a non-starter with Canadians and with our government.
Canadian families and consumers already pay too much tax as it is, and our government has been working ever since we took office in 2006 to cut taxes for Canadians.
Our copyright legislation, Bill C-32, includes new rights and protections for creators in the digital age and tools to help artistic rights holders as we update Canada’s copyright laws. Attempts are being made through Bill C-32 to do something fair and reasonable for both consumers and creators on the issue of copyright reform.
But an iPod Tax is not fair for anyone, least of all Canadian families.
