ICANN imposes $2 internet tax

The Register ^ | March 31st 2005 | Kieren McCarthy

[infocats]

Internet overseeing organisation ICANN has imposed what amounts to a $2 tax on all new domains.

The organisation has just announced the launch of two new top-level domains (like .com or .org) in the form of .travel and .jobs, but the registry agreement reveals that it has put a $2 per transaction charge on every domain the companies sell or renew - in effect an internet tax.

The news will be greeted with some dismay by other internet companies, already smarting over ICANN's earlier plans to introduce just a 25-cent charge. It is now quite clear that ICANN's intention is to fund its ever-increasing and expensive costs with a flat-rate fee on all internet interactions.

[thoughtomator]

Boy, .travel and .jobs are going to be real popular domains.


/sarcasm

[freedumb2003]

That is a fee, not a tax.

[bahblahbah]

All right, this is BS. They are suppose to be a non-profit organization. I would love to see their accounting records.

[Graybeard58]

That is a fee, not a tax.

Now you've done it - took away peoples pleasure in getting upset over nothing.

[G.Mason]

ICANN. No you can't.

[infocats]

"All right, this is BS. They are suppose to be a non-profit organization. I would love to see their accounting records."

Yeah...when the U.N. opens theirs.

[kevkrom]

I always wondered why they don't create a .xxx domain.

From what I understand, the porn purveyors would actually welcome this, as it removes the need for "age verification" -- if you go to an ".xxx" website, you are doing so willingly (so goes the theory... redirected links aside). Plus, they would be so much easier to filter out, rather than relying on dumb keyword filters that block websites for "Middlesex County" or "Virgin Airlines" (both cases I've witnessed).

[vbmoneyspender]

That is a fee, not a tax.

I am unclear on the semantic difference. But be that as it may, isn't the result the same, i.e. higher costs for domain purchasers and more money for ICANN?

[stylin19a]

So, is this just like the TicketMaster "surcharge" ? A one time shot...until the next time ?

[Abcdefg]

What if I set up a web site named, for instance, http://192.168.1.1/myweb.htm and don't pay squat to these folks?

[TChris]

They are suppose to be a non-profit organization.

Non-prof.s can grow into bloated bureaucracies like any other organization.

[DJ Frisat]

"What if I set up a web site named, for instance, http://192.168.1.1/myweb.htm and don't pay squat to these folks?"

You're joking, right? That you used that particular IP address suggests you know the answer, and are just pulling our collective leg...

[hunter112]

Good luck getting traffic to that IP address!

[Abcdefg]

That is a non-routable IP, but the point was that we don't have to use domain names if we don't want to pay. Is that right?

[infocats]

What if I set up a web site named, for instance, http://192.168.1.1/myweb.htm and don't pay squat to these folks?

What do you have...a Linksys Router?

[hunter112]

Hmm, well, I suppose that's possible. But you'd have to have a Web host that will assign you an IP address, without having DNS routing for a domain name. Good luck getting that to happen.