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Minister has doubts about surf tax (update)Tuesday 23 June 2009 Media minister Ronald Plasterk said on Tuesday he has 'grave doubts' about recommendations that the government introduce an extra surcharge on internet subscriptions to help struggling newspapers. A government commission made the recommendation to ensure that all internet users pay towards online news. The commission suggested a levy of €2 a household, which would generate €12m to boost newspaper innovation. 'That is the price of a cup of coffee,' commission chairman Elco Brinkman was quoted as saying by the Volkskrant. 'We have to get away from the idea that new media is free. That is theft from the newspapers. You have to pay something for them,' Brinkman was quoted as saying. The commission was set up by Plasterk to look at ways to preserve the diversity of the Dutch press which has been hit by falling subscriptions, partly due to the rise of internet news sites. TV magazines Newspapers accuse the public broadcasters of unfair competition because they are funded by the taxpayer and do not have to make a profit. Plasterk has already announced that €8m of the hundreds of millions of euros generated by advertising on public tv and radio channels will be used to stimulate newspaper innovation. And the government is to pay for 60 promising trainee journalists to work at the big newspapers. The commission also recommended giving newspapers a free reign to produce their own television guides. At the moment, only broadcasting companies themselves are allowed to publish detailed tv schedules. The Telegraaf in particular has long wanted to publish its own tv magazine. Would you be prepared to pay a higher internet fee to help newspapers? Take part in our poll. © DutchNews.nl Get the DutchNews.nl newsletter in your mailbox: Click here to subscribe
This idea is plain stupid. How about paying 2 euro for tntpost due to emails, book publishers 2 euro due to pdfs, 2 euro for yellowpages, 2 euro for map publishers, 2 euro for translators, 2 euro for telephone companies due to skype. It is a weeks coffee quota and every body can afford not to drink coffee for one week. Obsolete technology will get out and they have to cope with the new technology. By bimalesh | June 23, 2009 4:04 PM Newspapers operate as commercial entities and live and die by a) their ability to attract readers in conjunction with b) their ability to attract advertising revenues. If they fail in either or both of these two criteria then they, like any for-profit business, do not have the right to survive. NEXT! By Russell | June 23, 2009 4:11 PM We should absolutely have a levy. While we are at it, we should also have a levy on new cars to subsidize horse farriers and hay producers for the horse and cart industry. We can't let that obsolete industry be neglected too. By Kris | June 23, 2009 4:33 PM Why would I pay 2 Euro more in taxes than I already do for newspapers I don't want to read? The demise of the print media has been coming for a long time, those businesses need to rethink their business model, and get the content users to pay subscriptions for ad-free premium content. By Louise | June 23, 2009 4:55 PM You've got to be kidding me, seems governments want to bail out any business incapable of evolving with the times. This will only benefit the corporate media who's 'news' is usually propaganda and all the same, personally I read the smaller news websites when im online do they get a share? By Tom | June 23, 2009 6:15 PM Move with the times!!. Yet another stupid idea. If you want an online newspaper subscription that's you're choice. By Mark Gilligan | June 23, 2009 6:56 PM A good newspaper does not need help.If it does it should fire its current staff and get people who work and who are enthousiastic about what they are doing.Dutch newspapers deserve to disappear,no concept and run by bookkeepers. By jan-dirk | June 23, 2009 8:27 PM Brilliant idea! Similarly, car manufacturers should subsidize makers of horse-pulled buggies. By Kevin Bjornson | June 23, 2009 8:58 PM Brinkman is not very bright. It is not theft of services when the news industry is putting this information on the internet voluntarily. By Brian | June 24, 2009 8:13 AM This is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. But didn't surprised that coming from Dutch parliament. It news media doesn't like their news to be accessible from Internet, they have the right to remove them. They are also having a significant income from web ads. If I will have to contribute their loss, I must have a chance to claim from their income as well. By Ozgur | June 24, 2009 4:19 PM Place your comments: |
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This is ridiculous. Print newspapers have seen their day. Is the public to hold up every enterprise that is no longer useful or wanted? In Holland I bet so!
News papers are now OLD there is NO news in them.
The news is on the internet.
Last week we had a HUGE fire on our end of town. With huge plumes of black smoke. More emergency vehicles went by than I could count. When we called our local stads deel kantor to ask if the smoke was toxic .. THEY WERE SURPRISED THERE HAD BEEN FIRE GOING ON FOR OVER AN HOUR. Clearly mastering the transmission of information is of NO concern here.
This is a pretty lame society I wouldn't be in the least surprised if the government held up these failing enterprises. After all free market and common sense have long been forgotten.
By EX-PAT | June 23, 2009 3:46 PM