Darling gives broadband tax the green light

In yesterday’s pre-budget report Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, has given the controversial 6 pound per year broadband tax the green light.

The broadband tax that was proposed by the Labour government to help fund investment into next generation broadband and universal access has been at the centre of controversy ever since it was proposed by the Labour government. A number of groups and officials, as well as opposition parties, have slated the broadband tax, stating that the Labour government is taking the wrong approach.

However, in yesterday’s pre-budget report the Chancellor of the Exchequer, brought this £6 per year broadband tax one step closer to reality by giving the tax the green light, according to reports. All households with a fixed line phone will be charged the fifty pence per month tax, with the money going towards providing super-fast broadband even in rural areas.

The government has pledged to provide super-fast broadband to around ninety percent of the nation by the end of 2017. However, many officials have already predicted that the fund will come nowhere near raising the amount of money that will be needed to ensure that the super-fast broadband service is rolled out to the majority of the UK and by the deadline given.

When he announced the tax Darling stated: “We are modernising the UK’s digital infrastructure and, in the process, creating thousands more skilled jobs. We have provided funding to help extend the opportunities of the broadband network to more remote communities. We now want to go further, so we can provide the next generation of super-fast broadband to 90% of the population by the end of 2017.”

Source – BBC