The Troubles With a Possible E-Mail Tax

For years now, there have been hoax e-mails making the rounds cliaming that the US Postal Service would start taxing our e-mails.  As presaid, however, these were little more than hoaxes.  Now, however, there is talk of the creation in our government of an actual e-mail tax that could be levied within the next decade.

The front for such a tax is that doing so would help to kill spam, increase bandwidth and, of course, make a lot of money.  There are several inherrant problems with the creation of such a tax, however.  The main one comes in the theory that the creation of such  tax would help to kill spam e-mails.  What needs to be understood is the mind of the common spammer. 

Many of the people who are the origins of these e-mails are behind proxies to send them.  Worse yet, many are also based off-shore or overseas where such a tax can not reach them.  The worst part, however, is that, through phishing, many spammers are able to use a victims info with software to make the spam appear to com from the victim's computer.  So in the end, when Joe Blow's computer is linked to spam due to his being phished, I am sure that the IRS, noting his computer's record of sending ads for debt consolidation and canadian male enhancement, will give him a fair trial.  

I am sure that there are some brightsides to this.  People would probably rely more on instant messaging and e-mails would become more like texts.  This would allow for the opening of more bandwidth.  At the same time, it seems that this tax, aside from being a bad idea in the first place, is nothing more than an impossible dream for the IRS.  Just another excuse to take more money.  

Cheers,

Nick in Gettysburg