The Copyright Board of Canada has decided that Canadians who purchase digital music players and removable memory cards should have to pay extra tax, even though there has been widespread opposition from everyone except the record industry.
If such a levy were to go into law, Canadians who wish to buy iPods and other digital music players will have to pay a fee on top of the device cost, simply for having the option of using it as an audio player.
Nevertheless, the decision has extensive implications. The Copyright Board’s decision not only gives the go-ahead to the “iPod tax,” it also makes it possible for potential levies on other everyday electronics such as mobile phones, computers or hard drives; basically anything that can be used to store digital music files, allowing recording artists, retailers and manufacturers to make money from any piece of equipment that can be used to store audio files. Plus, there’s the underlying assumption that all consumers of digital media are stealing the music they are listening to.
The various offices of the Canadian government have gone to and fro on the subject since 2003, with the court rejecting previous charges on digital audio players.
Whether the “iPod tax” will actually be implemented remains to be seen, but worried Canadians should plan their media player purchases soon if they want to avoid paying that extra tax…
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