Letters - Internet tax will damage powerful accountancy tool

Mario Monti, the European commissioner for fiscal studies, was right to reject a ‘bit tax‘ on flows of data on the Internet (News, 17 April).

The ‘if it moves, tax it’ approach of the European Commission’s academic advisers undermines the objective of the Internet – the global distribution of timely information. As well as missing the point, they ignore the costs already paid by business to post the data on the Internet in the first place.

According to the statistics available to Mr Monti, electronic commerce is growing annually at 60%. Figures available at the Comdex show in London places the number of commercial websites at 226,000 in 1997, up 980% from 23,000 in 1996.

Electronic commerce via the Internet will mature in a very short time to become a powerful tool for accountants in business, providing the profession is prepared to overcome a deep-seated reluctance to embrace advances in information technology.

ALISTAIR O’REILLY, Colchester.