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Re:France plans 'Google tax' on Internet searches by joubert on Thursday January 07, 2010 @06:26PM (#1038325)
Taxation is also a tool to shape behavior.
Re:France plans 'Google tax' on Internet searches by cwan on Thursday January 07, 2010 @07:02PM (#1038391)
Not sure how this relates to what karzeem has said. You're right, taxation can shape behaviour. So what do you suppose it's saying here? Let's tax and discourage a productive part of society - or at least a part that helps people get things done faster to subsidize an industry (that's already being protected and promoted by government) that people are not interested in enough to actually support with their own money?

Let's also not forget Quaero that the French tried to create as a counterbalance to supposedly American centric search for a total estimated amount of 293M Euros over 5 years! If the French government was that concerned about certain favored industries, why not just put their money there?

Re:France plans 'Google tax' on Internet searches by joubert on Thursday January 07, 2010 @07:12PM (#1038410)
I simply said that because he said the motivation from this proposed tax stems from the misbelief of the zero sum game in wealth creation.

However, from the article it seems it is more a way to to stimulate certain behavior (i.e. cultural developments).