No "iPod tax" for Canada

Here's a reason for our Canadian readers to rejoice (and no, I'm not talking about the weak dollar, but thanks for reminding me about that): a proposed levy against iPods and other MP3 players has been defeated. The levy, which was going to be anywhere from $5 to $75 depending on how many songs the device could hold, was meant to help the record industry recoup costs thanks to piracy. The levy was defeated because it assumed that every iPod was chock full of illegally acquired music, and we all know that's not the case. A similar levy that is raised against blank media is still in effect.

Phew, I made it through the entire post without a Dudley Do-right joke.

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Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080111.…

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Analysis / Opinion iPod Family

Here's a reason for our Canadian readers to rejoice (and no, I'm not talking about the weak dollar, but thanks for reminding me about...

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Thanks Goodness.
I was about to be shamed if that had past.

January 14 2008 at 5:27 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jenneke

Yay for Canada! Over here in The Netherlands the parliament also just refused to put an extra tax on music players. /me happy ^_^

January 14 2008 at 5:10 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

John

Well, this is a step in the right direction. One tax down, PST to go. Very frustrating paying a bit extra in Canada knowing the same item is cheaper in the states without an additional 12-14% sales tax to pay on top of it.

January 13 2008 at 11:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

chris

music is art and passion, not business.

January 13 2008 at 10:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kevin

Ok, lets actually pass some laws that anyone other than the music/video companies care about. Nice to see that the lobbyist didn't prevail on this measure.

January 13 2008 at 10:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Andy

Weak dollar?
Which dollar are you calling weak?

10/01 11/01
1 USD (noon) = 1.0139 1.0199 CAD
1 USD (closing) = 1.0074 1.0197 CAD
1 CAD (noon) = 0.9863 0.9805 USD
1 CAD (closing) = 0.9927 0.9807 USD

January 13 2008 at 9:50 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Andy's comment

Taylor

I would say they're referring to the US dollar. In the past, the Canadian dollar was worth, what, 80c US (about the same as the Aussie dollar was), and now they're pretty much even.

January 13 2008 at 10:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

ernie.

I second the iPhone!

January 13 2008 at 8:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

wvanderbilt

Whew,

now start selling the iPhone already.

January 13 2008 at 6:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jon

I really wish the music industry would put all of its resources into making good music instead of finding "cheap" ways (like this) to make money off of crappy music.

January 13 2008 at 6:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Jon's comment

Brian

Roger that!

Muse, Infected Mushroom, Daft Punk, Julien-K, Chemical Brothers, Juno Reactor, Muse, Interpol, Ratatat, Scissor Sisters, Shiny Toy Guns, Tool, Maroon 5, Bitter:Sweet, Queens of the Stoneage, RATM, Timbaland, and The Prodigy. Out of the many thousands of musical artists in the world, you can produce less than twenty artists, in ten years, that I consider worthy of my money?

Where's the culture? The music is so overproduced, and the only music with culture is the crap that can't stand on it's own. There isn't any music out there that I consider good enough to put posters on my walls... that's sad.

I guess I'm supposed to like Rap. That seems to be where the money is, these days. Timbaland is right:
"See My Heart, Feel My Pain
Some Of Dese Stars, Some Is Lames,
How They Follow Little Trends To Get They Fame,
I Aint Snappin My Damn Fingers To Get In The Game"

They put out carbon copies of Brit, and America just gobbles it up. Maybe it's not the industry I should be angry with...

January 13 2008 at 9:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Taylor

Brian, you said Muse twice... but with good reason.

January 13 2008 at 10:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply