Caught in the Net: Europe’s E-Mail

Alain Lamassoure, a former French budget minister and current member of the European Parliament, is drawing up the continent’s new proposals for financing the European Union. One of his ideas? Tax every e-mail and text message sent in Europe. "A small tax on text messages between Paris and another French town could be allocated to ...

Alain Lamassoure, a former French budget minister and current member of the European Parliament, is drawing up the continent's new proposals for financing the European Union. One of his ideas? Tax every e-mail and text message sent in Europe. "A small tax on text messages between Paris and another French town could be allocated to the French government, but taxes on e-mails and texts from Paris to Rome, for example, could be paid to the European budget," says Lamassoure. He proposes a charge of nearly 20 cents on text messages and a fraction of a cent on e-mails. It's the kind of idea only a French bureaucrat could love.

Alain Lamassoure, a former French budget minister and current member of the European Parliament, is drawing up the continent’s new proposals for financing the European Union. One of his ideas? Tax every e-mail and text message sent in Europe. "A small tax on text messages between Paris and another French town could be allocated to the French government, but taxes on e-mails and texts from Paris to Rome, for example, could be paid to the European budget," says Lamassoure. He proposes a charge of nearly 20 cents on text messages and a fraction of a cent on e-mails. It’s the kind of idea only a French bureaucrat could love.

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