I posting this here because it is of concern to all computer users.
There is a bill in the house, H.R. 5158, which if voted into law, would
impose a federal tax on every new computer purchased. It is using the
"environmental" angle as an attempt to make it acceptable. It is claimed
that computers contain toxic substances so the tax is to pay for recycling
the toxic components.
However, looking at the whole context of this legislation, one sees the
following:
The federal government wants to directly tax a consumer item that may or may
not be going in interstate commerce.
The tax could be raised at any time by an act of Congress.
The tax could be exempted on "politically correct" computers, that is, those
that have "digital rights management" chips in them or backdoor chips that
allow law enforcement agencies to pry into the contents of your harddrive.
There could be criminal penalties for those who build their own boxes and
"evade" paying the tax. Five years in prison for "tax evasion" anyone?
Even if the initial legislation did not include the above scenario, it could
be added at a later date. "We have to close the loophole." "Everybody has
to pay their fair share." etc.
I suggest you email, call, or write your congressmen and ask them to oppose
this bill.
Smitty
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