“Cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament [MP] are putting up a vigorous defence against the New Democratic Party’s [NDP] move to have a levy applied to all new MP3 players, hard drives and laptops,” Ditchburn reports. “The money would theoretically go into a fund for Canadian music artists the same way as the current 29-cent levy on blank CDs and cassettes.”
“The proposal is New Democrat MP Charlie Angus’ private member’s bill,” Ditchburn reports. “It’s unclear whether such a tax measure would go far because legislation that involves financial changes must be supported by the government.”
“But that hasn’t stopped the Tories from mounting a full-on assault against the idea,” Ditchburn reports. “‘This is a very serious hit to consumers that could impact them, and if the NDP are as committed to raising taxes this week as they always have been, then this is a real threat,’ Heritage Minister James Moore said Wednesday.”
Ditchburn reports, “David Basskin, spokesman for the Canadian Private Copying Collective, says he’s disappointed the Tories aren’t seeing this as an issue of the property rights of businesspeople.”
“Moore says the government has injected much money into supporting artists since it came to power, including more for the Canadian Council for the Arts and the Canada Music Fund,” Ditchburn reports. “A new levy is just not on, he said. ‘It’s not in the interest of the music industry to make it more expensive to buy the devices on which they’re listening to Canadian content,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t serve the Canadian cultural community.'”
Full article here.
UPDATE: 9:11pm EDT: The measure appears has failed. Retail Council of Canada’s press released, verbatim:
Retail Council of Canada applauds Government of Canada’s refusal to extend blank media levy to other electronic devices
– Levy would put Canadian merchants at a competitive disadvantage –
OTTAWA, March 17 /CNW/ – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) commends Heritage Canada Minister James Moore and Industry Canada Minister Tony Clement for rejecting an NDP proposal to extend the blank media levy to other electronic devices such as iPods and similar digital audio recorders.
“Canadian retailers are encouraged that the levy will not be extended and believe this anti-competitive tax should be repealed altogether,” said Terrance Oakey, Vice President, Federal Government Relations, Retail Council of Canada. “To extend the levy would result in higher prices for Canadians, which would create a huge incentive for consumers to buy these devices online or in-person in the United States where no levy exists.”
Retailers contend the levy system is obsolete in an age of rapid technological change and that it does nothing to support and protect Canadian artists.
Retail Council of Canada calls for changes to the Copyright Act to provide an explicit exception recognizing that private copying for archival or backup purposes and for format shifting purposes by individuals of legitimately acquired copies of works or sound recordings and movies is legal. This should include private copying for such purposes as platform shifting, backup purposes, or the avoidance of obsolescence.
“Canadians should not be sued for large statutory damage awards for private, non-commercial copying, or asked to pay a levy for simply backing up purchased media on a blank CD or digital storage device” added Mr. Oakey.
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has been the Voice of Retail in Canada since 1963. We speak for an industry that touches the daily lives of Canadians in every corner of the country – by providing jobs, career opportunities, and by investing in the communities we serve. RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association representing more than 40,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, specialty, discount, and independent stores, and online merchants. RCC is a strong advocate for retailing in Canada and works with all levels of government and other stakeholders to support employment growth and career opportunities in retail, to promote and sustain retail investments in communities from coast-to-coast, and to enhance consumer choice and industry competitiveness. RCC also provides its members with a full range of services and programs including education.
Source: Retail Council of Canada
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Mike from Fernie” for the heads up.]
Tories suck but they finally did something right
Thank God for the Tories!
Before your pants squish, remember the Tories still plan to crawl into bed with the American Mafia RIAA and fine your dead grandmother $6 million for downloading Happy Birthday.
This tax for potential piracy is crazy.
Does Canada also put a tax on stockings because bank robbers can potentially use them to cover their heads durning a robbery? Oh..they should also tax car sales because we know bank robbers always have a get away car. Bank robbers wear clothes, lets put an extra tax on that. Bank robbers sometimes write a note, let’s add at tax on paper and pens. Bank robbers probably had breakfast before they went to the bank, let’s put a robbery tax on bacon and eggs.
I have thousands of CD’s, DVD’s and big old hard drives. None of them contain andy illegally downloaded music or movies. They are backups of my work. Why should I pay for some else’s theft?
STFU you nin
The 29 cent levy only applies to CDs or DVDs that are bought in Audio or Music sections or are labelled that way. There is no levy for CDs bought in the computer section of a store.
So, basically if you buy blank media at a media store like HMV then you pay the levy. If you buy it in the computer section of London Drugs… you don’t.
That’s not a price per disc, btw.
“The money would theoretically go into a fund for Canadian music artists the same way as the current 29-cent levy on blank CDs and cassettes.”
Deja vu man. How is it that the RIAA are so successful pulling puppet strings in Canada?
Yet another incentive for people to steal music off the Internet. Treat your customers with disrespect, as demonstrated here, and your customers will screw you back. IMHO DRM and dumbass taxes like these are the #1 inspiration for illegal downloads. Kill off DRM and disrespect, tune robbery will DROP. Apparently the RIAA are too blinded by greed to comprehend customer satisfaction.