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Mobile phone tax?

  • 04-03-2009 12:36pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    It has been suggested by the Green Party that a 1c tax on text messages would raise some much needed funds for the public purse, in this current economic crisis.

    It has also been suggested by a mild-mannered moderator on a well-known Irish internet forum that a blanket €10 tax on all mobile phones might be a better idea.

    So, what say you?

    Which option is the more palatable? 36 votes

    1c tax on all text messages
    0%
    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    50%
    DMCseamusBlaster99Brando_iemicksBCRob_lmitsubishi1Batesyjoe_dunneDavythe_manchineBanes05pirellidrunkmonkey[Deleted User]chiliconparmidvpower 18 votes
    No new taxes on mobile phones
    50%
    Tom Dunnesuper_furrybillbond4Sam VimesTrueDubcoolmooseJonathankeizerRsaeirejessconrWalkmanchavezychavezkenneth2metalfestQuiet LurkerTGi666mk6705donegal lass 4 18 votes


«1

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 ✭✭✭✭Random


    they can take as much tax as they want once my prices don't go up.

    I don't want to pay an extra 1c a text.

    Would be interesting to see if this would effect free text offers etc.

    What's this about a tenner tax on all mobiles, how's that work?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 ✭✭✭✭Random


    ah i see the poll now (i'm on mobile theme!) and that explains the tenner a lot better. Don't agree with that. I have loads of sim cards and would hate to get hit with a bill for 200eur given i hardly ever use some of them.


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 6,525 Mod ✭✭✭✭sharkman


    The Green Party are insane . Seriously are they all retarded ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,888 ✭✭✭Rsaeire


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    I agree with the €10 tax per year option, as noted in my post on the “1c tax on texts” thread, if a new tax has to be introduced.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 923 ✭✭✭coolmoose


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    €10 tax pa isn't too bad, anything is better than an increase in income tax/pension levy etc.

    I for one wouldn't mind paying an annual stamp duty type tax on my mobile phone.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,251 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    sharkman wrote: »
    The Green Party are insane . Seriously are they all retarded ?

    there not the only ones by the looks of it, some other nutter suggested a €10 mobile phone tax and some even crazier nutters thought it might be a good idea ....:D

    i'm off to blow all my money before I loose it on tax, oh wait, i'm broke /facepalm


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,326 ✭✭✭BC


    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    My first response to this was no way but it does seem that its a straightforward way of getting income in quickly.

    I would prefer the 1c per message option as i then have the option to not send text messages if i wish and so not pay the tax. With the 10 euro charge, I have no choice.

    The problem for the governement is that they can budget based on the 10 euro charge, people are unlikely to get rid of their phones. They can't really budget well on the 1c per message as people may just start reducing the number of texts that are sent.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    sharkman wrote: »
    The Green Party are insane . Seriously are they all retarded ?

    Or is it that desperate times call for desperate measures?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,922 ✭✭✭✭Mimikyu


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,888 ✭✭✭Rsaeire


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    there not the only ones by the looks of it, some other nutter suggested a €10 mobile phone tax and some even crazier nutters thought it might be a good idea ....:D

    i'm off to blow all my money before I loose it on tax, oh wait, i'm broke /facepalm

    The €10 per year tax was recommended as a replacement for the 1c per sms tax; if a tax had to be introduced. I am sure the vast majority of users would be against any tax at all, but if a tax had to be introduced, the €10 per year tax would be preferable over the government’s current proposal.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 216 ✭✭keizer


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    sharkman wrote: »
    The Green Party are insane . Seriously are they all retarded ?

    Yes they are. Sure we have some hair-brained idea to get people cycling to work and claiming tax relief for bicycles that will be left rust in sheds. Who will want to cycle to work between November and February?

    I think it would start off with €10 stamp duty on mobiles and then it would just get increased every year after.


    How much money would this €10 tax bring in?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,341 ✭✭✭✭super_furry


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    I think both ideas have merit, however the €10 on all accounts would be almost impossible to police on PAYG phones.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    I think both ideas have merit, however the €10 on all accounts would be almost impossible to police on PAYG phones.

    How about deducting it from credit?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,888 ✭✭✭Rsaeire


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    keizer wrote: »
    Yes they are. Sure we have some hair-brained idea to get people cycling to work and claiming tax relief for bicycles that will be left rust in sheds. Who will want to cycle to work between November and February?

    I think it would start off with €10 stamp duty on mobiles and then it would just get increased every year after.


    How much money would this €10 tax bring in?

    It's safe to assume there are at least 3 million active mobile phone users, so I would say it would work out as follows:

    3 million users x €10 = 30 million Euros


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 216 ✭✭keizer


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    Rsaeire wrote: »
    It's safe to assume there are at least 3 million active mobile phone users, so I would say it would work out as follows:

    3 million users x €10 = 30 million Euros

    It would be a help alright but would the see it as being worthwhile? They'd make more from taxing texts (which I'm against TBH).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,888 ✭✭✭Rsaeire


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    keizer wrote: »
    It would be a help alright but would the see it as being worthwhile? They'd make more from taxing texts (which I'm against TBH).

    Well technically the government would receive 25 million Euros if they taxed 2.5 Billion texts at 1c per text. In saying that, people can reduce their text usage, however, they’re less likely to reduce their mobile usage to having no mobile phone account at all.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 216 ✭✭keizer


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    Rsaeire wrote: »
    Well technically the government would receive 25 million Euros if they taxed 2.5 Billion texts at 1c per text. In saying that, people can reduce their text usage, however, they’re less likely to reduce their mobile usage to having no mobile phone account at all.

    I read somewhere this morning that it would be far more than that.....can't find where now. But your figures are correct.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,748 ✭✭✭Do-more


    As she has openly published her mobile number in the public domain and she is an elected public representative I presume it is OK to link to it here. If not then mods please delete.

    If anyone feels the urge to text Mary White TD with your objections to the proposed tax her mobile number can be found here (on the right hand side, middle and bottom)

    Her email address is marya.white@oireachtas.ie

    Put democracy in action folks! ;)

    invest4deepvalue.com



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,757 ✭✭✭lawhec


    With the €10 per annum charge, I know that in Hong Kong there is a HK$2.50 (approx 26c) charge per month for all mobile phone accounts by the government, contract and pre-paid. In the case of pre-paid, it is deducted from the credit on the phone and not enough credit means the service is disconnected. The two are similar, covers everyone who has a mobile phone (there are quite a few people with mobiles who rarely or never text message, my dad for one!) so has the added bonus for a government that if you want a mobile phone, its pretty much impossible to avoid.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭pirelli


    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    It has been suggested by the Green Party that a 1c tax on text messages would raise some much needed funds for the public purse, in this current economic crisis.

    It has also been suggested by a mild-mannered moderator on a well-known Irish internet forum that a blanket €10 tax on all mobile phones might be a better idea.

    So, what say you?

    Definitely should, We pay the highest prices in the world. If the goverment wants 1c it should not come from us. They can tax it and we could make an issue out of it and some mobile phone provide will promise not to charge its customers the 1 c tax and it would be a success.


    If they jack the prices the goverment should then tax their income, they are ripping us of anyway.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 ✭✭✭✭Random


    I would be a little less against a charge for €10 per person that owns a mobile phone, rather than a per account charge.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,251 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    if it's only going to generate €30 million what's the point, it'll cost just as much to administer.. it'll probably end up costing us €60 million once the public service get involved.....

    OP is right the government get enough already from communications, no point sending it the same direction as car industry...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 721 ✭✭✭mk6705


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    Rsaeire wrote: »
    It's safe to assume there are at least 3 million active mobile phone users, so I would say it would work out as follows:

    3 million users x €10 = 30 million Euros

    I'd be prepared to pay €10 a year for my country. 1c a text though, that'd drive me mad.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭towel401


    if they bring this in i'm buying a satellite phone again. might be a bit more expensive but at least i won't be funding the scumbags in charge of this country


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,835 ✭✭✭CamperMan


    1c tax on text or €10 tax on mobile phones.. ridiculous :mad:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,826 ✭✭✭godskitchen


    I cant believe some of you. Bending over once again.

    I will be happy to pay this 1c tax once a few terms are met.

    1. Government to take a 50% pay cut for the next 5 years.

    2. If Vodafone/O2/Met/3 report operating losses in this country, if not they should pay the 1c, it is not as if they will leave the market, they make a shed load of profit off the mugs the Irish have become. They already overcharge compared to the rest of Europe as it is.

    3. A reduction in the number of public workers, how on earth have there not been redundancies in planning departments, to name just one.

    This is just a smoke screen, this government really do not have a clue as to what to do, they are so out of touch its not funny. The greens are a joke, if they had any balls they would be forcing issues within government on a number of issues, but every single one of them is weak.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    I cant believe some of you. Bending over once again.

    I will be happy to pay this 1c tax once a few terms are met.

    1. Government to take a 50% pay cut for the next 5 years.

    2. If Vodafone/O2/Met/3 report operating losses in this country, if not they should pay the 1c, it is not as if they will leave the market, they make a shed load of profit off the mugs the Irish have become. They already overcharge compared to the rest of Europe as it is.

    3. A reduction in the number of public workers, how on earth have there not been redundancies in planning departments, to name just one.

    This is just a smoke screen, this government really do not have a clue as to what to do, they are so out of touch its not funny. The greens are a joke, if they had any balls they would be forcing issues within government on a number of issues, but every single one of them is weak.

    +1

    It's hilarious, the government spent years squandering the money gathered during the good times and nobody questioned a thing. Now that everything has gone pear shaped, they have somehow managed to get us to try to figure out ways ourselves that we can give them more of our money even though they haven't reformed the sectors that are bleeding the country white in the first place. And here we are, clapping each other on the back when one of us comes up with a novel way that they can tax us. Wake up, people!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,251 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    this government really do not have a clue as to what to do

    slash welfare, slash the minimum wage, and go through the public service with a lawnmower, they know exactly what to do.... trouble is they don't want to, Brian will loose his place in the history books... April will be interesting..

    back on topic, I still reckon the 5cent txt tax is the way forward, free txts aren't helping the economy....


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 8,182 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jonathan


    No new taxes on mobile phones
    Without being overly negative:


    The country is foooked. Ireland ltd needs money from where ever it can get it.

    Why not the mobile phone users?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,251 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    €10 yearly tax on all mobile phone accounts (similar to ATM card tax)
    jmccrohan wrote: »


    The country is foooked. Ireland ltd needs money from where ever it can get it.

    Why not the mobile phone users?

    I drink, I smoke, I drive a petrol car, i'd only support it if there was an amnesty for people already paying 3 of the above....
    The vat on my phone bill is already about the same as the average meteor customers spends in a month....no more tax please...


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