This reminds me of the tax on e-mail hoax that was circulating a few years ago.On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:37:42 -0500, Pat 
Byrne wrote:

>And a Happy April First to all!!
>Pat, K9JAUAt 11:35 AM 4/1/2010, you wrote:
>>KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog =BB Blog Archive =BB Unbelievable!
>>list of 1 items
>>. 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