Dear sanjeev,
thank you at last for bringing out your stand on the issue, in response to
raj's email. you make one helluva devil's advocate
> > [Raj] Given that we live in an imperfect world, LinuxLingam's proposal to
> > introduce (re-introduce?) a tax on bundled or COTS software seems
> > eminently reasonable to me.
>
> Raj, my objection is that this weakens our case. We have effectively
> decided that we cannot compete if MS offers software at USD199, so we want
> the Finance Minister to raise it to USD250? It is wrong, morally, to tax
> our opponents in an attempt to crush them.
the idea is not to crush them through tax as a weapon. they won't get
crushed. we'll get crushed. they'll just pass the tax along to us. who else?
and please note one very very very important point: this is not about M$. i
have gone at great pains to point that out in every email, this is not
targetting one specific non-freedom based software company. in fact, it does
not even target one type of software company against the other, for example,
FBS versus non-FBS.
this is for *all*.
Tax: the Great Leveller.
> If what COTS is doing is "wrong', then we should call for fines, not taxes.
some smart aleck may just quip that all taxes are a refined form of fines,
but that's another story.
more specifically, we are not taking up the issue with the FM on a 'moral'
ground, and sitting in judgement over non-FBS companies, especially
OEM-bundlers, and proclaiming a 'fine.' that is too pathetic, too desparete,
too miserable for words.
the original idea is simple: tax all software sold at a price. period.
for reasons, re-read the mailing list archive.
suggested consideration: we urge the government to use the the tax collected,
to fund freedom-based software development. this second aspect, helps the
government, economy, companies, education, individuals, in india,
economically and financially. in several ways.
OEM-bundles could attract a special law, that the same offer must be
available without the bundle, that this must be prominently stated, and that
if it is not easy to purchase a computer without the OEM-bundle, then the
excise tax must be levied on it as well. period.
consumers must be made aware of choices, just as they are forcefully and
repeatedly made aware of what companies and businesses and the law calls
'software piracy.'. how about making the public equally aware of
'freedom-based software alternatives'?
come on!
:-)
LL
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