From: "Jean-Francois Avon" <jf_avon@citenet.net>
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 19:10:08 -0700 (PDT)
To: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Subject: Re: Prof Shamir arrested
Message-ID: <9610220209.AB21034@cti02.citenet.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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Hi Jim!
Could you please tell me where I could find more about it?  Is there a URL
presenting the story?  Did you broadcast the story to other groups?

On 21 Oct 96 at 14:34, jim bell wrote:

> Further recall that the so-called "Bit Tax" idea, the one most recently 
> proposed by that Belgian (?) Luc Soete, would apparently require that any
data
> transmitter keep account of any data it sends, in order to collect some sort
> of tax, and thus any mistake in the count (either as a result of
> misinterpretation of the rules, or a disk crash, or a power surge, etc)
would
> presumably turn a minor error into "tax fraud," or maybe they'll call it
"bit
> fraud."

There is one other thing that you probably saw but did not point out:  At least

here in North America, networks and cables are *privately* owned.  A bit tax
would thus tax the use of private property by it's ownner.  That is going a bit

far!  Also, the only one who could file for fraud is the owner.  Otherwise, I
could file a complaint and charge you for fraud that there are too much fart
marks in your underwear...  Or maybe they could institute a spoon and fork

tax.  Or a comma or alphabet tax, why not since it is in the same line?

This is absolutely absurd and anybody planning such a scheme has *much more*
than innocent intentions in mind.

Ciao

jfa
- -- 
Jean-Francois Avon, Montreal QC Canada
 DePompadour, Societe d'Importation Ltee
    Finest of Limoges porcelain and crystal
 JFA Technologies, R&D consultants
    physicists and engineers, LabView programing.
PGP encryption keys at: http://w3.citenet.net/users/jf_avon
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