Oh. I fell for it. Hi hi.  

-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Ron Canazzi
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 4:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Unbelievable!

You guys do know of course that this is an April fools joke.  I believe I
saw it last year concerning the stimulus package.  I believe I saw something
like this as far back as 1994 when they tried and failed to reform health
care.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 12:35 PM
Subject: Unbelievable!


KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog =BB Blog Archive =BB Unbelievable!
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. KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog=20
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Unbelievable!
=20
This from Jim, WB8AZP, via the=20
ARROW
 mailing list:

block quote
Buried in the middle of the 1200-page Health Care Reform package is =
something that should be disturbing to all US amateur radio operators. =
Embedded in the
funding guidelines section 415, paragraph 27, line 45, are details on =
one of the mechanisms that the government intends to employ to help pay =
for the staggering
costs of the new plan.

To put it simply, the new health care guidelines support the notion of =
creative funding from untapped resources, and from other government =
agencies, like
the FCC. This puts the burden on funding on other agencies, and =
therefore the health care reform pundits can claim that "they" didn't =
introduce any new
taxes to pay for everything.

Lurking in the depths of the new health carecare package is a time bomb =
waiting to affect all US Amateur Radio Operators; The new Talk And Pay =
(TAP) Tax..
What does the TAP Tax do? Well, just as it implies, it adds a tax on to =
each amateur license, based on usage of the bands.

The FCC knew it was going to be troublesome to enforce this kind of =
regulation, so they came up with a clever scheme - taxation by license =
class. All Technician,
General, and Extra Class Licensees will be taxed at a different rate. =
Any holdover licenses from different classes will be taxed at the next =
higher rate,
so novice license holders will be taxed as technicians, advanced holders =
as extra class licensees and so on. The logic is that higher class =
licenses can
use more of the frequencies; therefore they pay a larger percentage. =
There are even paragraphs that define taxing stations that haven't =
operated, (although
you have to prove that by filing a waiver), stations where the license =
holder has become a silent key (a different waiver), and repeater or =
space stations
(when the license is held by a non-profit group, you can apply for a =
waiver as well). They legislators have even thought of the mechanism to =
capture revenue
from youngsters, in their special Tax On Eventual Earnings (TOE) tax. =
So, a youngster who is not working will pay into a TOE TAP TAX account, =
in the form
of a debit owed to the government. Even retirees do not escape this tax, =
as there is a provision for the SNAP TAP TAX (Sure Not Accounting for =
Productivity).


There does seem to be a provision for testing down to a previous license =
class, so you can get a tax break by forfeiting your current license =
class, (after
taking a new 50 question written exam, and paying a hefty 45 dollar =
examination fee). You'll be then required to sign BCKTP in CW or "slash =
Back Tap" in
voice.

This looks to be pretty well thought out. I stopped reading after seeing =
the FCC amateur radio entry. It appears that Cell phones and wireless =
data networks
will be next. There are 20 other government agencies listed in the =
document. Where will this insanity end? All of this is scheduled to go =
into effect on
April 1, 2011, because there apparently wasn't enough time to implement =
it before then.

If this doesn't negatively impact the growth of amateur radio, I don't =
know what will! I think it will also promote the notion of going really =
underground,
and not using your callsign at all., actually a practice that I've =
already heard lots of people adopt, especially on VHF.

I called my congressman after reading all of this, and he said that =
there are already proposals being filed to allow credit for amateur =
radio operators
involved in public service, and he called it the Support for Individuals =
Desiring to Engage in Services Training, Education, and Planning =
(SIDESTEP). That
makes me feel a little better.

I think it just might be time to get rid of my gear, before all this TOE =
TAP, SNAP TAP, BACK TAP, and SIDESTEP stuff goes into affect. Once =
again, the government
is here to help you.

block quote end

By: Dan KB6NU |=20


"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to =
live at the expense of everybody else."=20
-Frederic Bastiat

Steve
Lansing, MI