TAX Giveaway or BT Re-nationalised? (From York Press)

TAX Giveaway or BT Re-nationalised?

9:04pm Thursday 18th June 2009

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So the Government wants to spend our money to upgrade the phone and data network across the UK, to enable faster broadband access to the Internet.

Can I ask why we are supposed to contribute to this, when various companies own these private networks? Let them spend their money!

If you use my tax money, am I to be given shares in one of these companies for my investment? Will I be invited to shareholders meetings and offered various special benefits? Will I receive a regular dividend for my investment and reports on how well the company is doing? Somehow I don’t think so. Don’t give away my tax money to company shareholders. If you want to invest in upgrading the network, buy the shares of the largest network company (BT) and then the taxpayer can enjoy the benefits of this “investment” and not just suffer from yet another tax.

If you don’t’ believe a government should hold shares then implement the BT re-nationalisation contingency plan the Guardian suggests that the Government already has. Don’t just give more of my money away, because it won’t just be £6 once, it never is!

A cautionary note is that microwaves as used by mobile phones already provide Internet access and may make all the bits of wire and optic fibre redundant eventually anyway. Probably around the time the new improved network is completed. Maybe we should invest there instead?