There was lots of talk about this on the various radio blabbers Thursday after this article appeared in the Globe and Mail. So if you'll pardon the following long winded editorial, I can see why.
 
It’s because a federal government committee is now back to suggesting they tax all broadband Internet connections, since so many Canadians are cord-cutting the cable and satellite out of their lives and streaming everything they want to see online. That means that fewer people are contributing to a mandatory Canuck programming fund used to make future CanCon, leading to broadcaster and producer cries of unfair competition and poverty.
 
For now, Prime Minister Selfie and his Ottawa cronies have rejected the idea, knowing it would provoke a huge backlash from consumers who are already being nickel and dimed to death by their existing and endless charges. (They’re very careful NOT to call it a Netflix Tax, but rather an Internet Levy.)
 
Here’s my problem with such an idea. I don’t have kids, but I used the school system when I was younger, so I don’t object to helping fund that. And I see my doctor when needed, so I have no issue with helping to fund health care in my taxes. And I drive on the roads, so even though I may not use every highway, it seems reasonable to help pay for their maintenance, as well. (Although the amount we pay for all these services is another matter entirely.)
 
But after wracking my brains (and trust me, they've been wracked way too many times over the years) I could not come up with a single Canadian show I’ve watched in the past five years. And I very much doubt there are any waiting in the wings that will one day be worth my while. So in essence, it’s being suggested that we should pay for something many of us never use or want, and which, unlike health care, is hardly a necessity.
 
Similarly, I don’t smoke or drink, so the so-called "sin taxes" on those products don’t affect me. If you want to indulge, fine – there’s a price to pay for that. But imagine if I had to fork over the taxes on a carton of cigarettes without ever actually buying one. That, in my mind, is outright theft.  

It can be argued that The Internet has become, for better or worse, an indispensable part of our lives, from communicating to bill paying and keeping up with news. Taxing something that integral to daily life to help fund another Trouble With Tracy is just plain wrong. 
 
I say all this coming from someone who made a pretty good living in Canadian TV and radio for decades, so some could call that hypocrisy. But the shows I worked on (all news) were ratings and advertiser dependent and as far as I know, were not directly supported by taxpayer dollars.
 
Taxing high speed Internet access must make the eyes of federal politicians, who have never met a charge they didn’t like, grow wider. But not being a public or civil servant, my paycheque hasn’t grown any larger. And despite the arguments about “level playing fields” and “fairness,” it’s unconscionable in my mind to force me to pay for something I never use.
 
It may not happen this time. But rest assured this one is not going away. I’m pretty sure it will keep coming back until they find an excuse to put it in. And then it won’t be a stream coming out of your screen. It will be steam coming out of your ears.

Globe & Mail: Committee calls for new Internet tax to help media industry