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Comment by galkk | Hacker News Reader

I really hate that political doublespeak, as in 2nd paragraph:

    Germany’s federal commissioner for media and culture, Wolfram Weimer, told Stern magazine on Thursday that the new government is drafting a digital levy on global internet platforms, although alternatives like a voluntary commitment by the affected tech companies to pay more tax in Germany are also still under consideration.

voluntary...

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people who see "Your money or your life" as a free choice scenario

In Texas the phrase has traditionally been “Plato o Plomo” which translates to “Silver or Lead” fyi

In spanish it's plata - silver. The word comes through latin from a greek word that says "flat", probably because silver sheets are flat.

That sounds more like a Mexican cartel thing, you know, organized crime extortion and being in Spanish and all.

It's voluntary the same way people work shitty jobs "voluntarily". If they don't, they'll starve, but they always have that option I suppose.

The beauty of the free market - either do what the capitalist class does or die, freely.

None of those big conpanies would die by paying more tax in Germany; so much so, that I bet they’d prefer to call the bluff and leave the country entirely rather than pay more taxes. The move then becomes “your government is evil and is forcing us to deprive you of our awesome service/product, call your elected representative”.

I believe American Big Tech greatly overestimates their popularity in Europe, especially in Germany. This move would backfire dramatically.

However, WhatsApp is the default messaging app in Germany (second only to fax /s). Facebook is the default platform in Sweden. I think other EU countries also rely heavily on US big tech.

I think they would just pay the taxes but increase their prices so their bottom-line looks about the same. In the end it would be the consumers in Germany that paid the price.

That assumes that demand would stay the same with price increases.

The homeless have the freedom to sleep under the bridge.

There's a beautiful German song that deals with the abusive use of the term "freedom": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Zj-S-OdZs

Here's a (somewhat clumsy, but still gets the point across) translation of the lyrics https://lyricstranslate.com/en/meine-freiheit-deine-freiheit...

Law, in a concern for equality, prohibits the rich as well as the poor from sleeping under bridges, begging, or stealing bread.

It's voluntary the same way you can voluntarily pay the amount of money the state decides you owe for income tax.

Except the state is your elected representation in a democracy. The market is just what moneyed interests want.

That changes nothing about how "voluntary" that "voluntary commitment" is, that you can, at your own will, choose instead of paying the same amount in taxes.

If I point a gun at you and ask for your wallet, you can voluntarily give it to me, but that doesn't make it less of a robbery.

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