Mexico: 'net advocates protest internet tax with #internetnecesario

Over the past two days, Internet advocates in Mexico have been voicing outrage over a proposed 3% telecommunications tax in a number of ways -- including flooding Twitter with the hashtag "internetnecesario," shorthand for "the internet is a basic neccesity." Here's one English language blog post from one blogger who believes the tax would be terrible news, and here is another in Spanish. Background on the politics in this Reuters item. (image via trendsmap.com, thanks @wordwardness).

• [Anonymous]

  I live in Mexico, and can say that Mexican politicians are as responsive as American ones- I doubt they read their legislation either.

• [Anonymous]

  In Mexico, the “traditional media” are scared about the Twitter phenomenom: They just found out that they do not represent the public opinion no more… Now mexican society has a better way to express they needs and opinions without the filters of mexican media corporations… (sorry for my rusty English)

• [issa]

  the taxes were approved early today:
  http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/634706.html

  they will affect internet, cable, beer and tobacco, among other products.

• [Anonymous]

  Apply tax on Internet usage in a country like Mexico would slow their development, culture and freedom of expression #internetnecesario

  Mexicans protests again tax to internet

• [Anonymous]

  Resident of Mexico here. This new tax will represent a 20 pesos increase in the monthly bill for most users in the country. For people with broadband at home this will barely be felt and with the hundreds of users an internet cafe has a month… I don’t think the 20 extra pesos a month will even show up on the costs kids pay.

  I was a starving college student less than a year ago and I understand how hard it can get but this protest is just reactionary and overblown.

• [Germanico]

  Funny thing, even though thousands upon thousands of tweets where sent with #internetnecesario as a hashtag, it didnt became a trending topic on Twitter. Anglocentrism anyone?

  • [Anonymous]

    Or was it because in previous days Jack Dorsey (the guy who invented Twitter) was in Mexico and Carlos Slim was there too? Carlos Slim is good controlling communications.

• [glenn]

  Nice graphic. Where did you get it?

  • [Anonymous]

    The graphic is from http://www.trendsmap.com — real-time local twitter trends :D

• [monosylabik]

  How can you say it’s overblown when Mexico already has some of the highest internet prices in the world. For the monthly cost of a 4Mbps up DSL connection in Mexico, you could get a 15Mbps connection in the US and still have some money to spare. And consider the US isn’t one of the cheapest places to get internet access either.

  Also, it’s not just the 3% increase in cost, don’t forget the 1% increase to IVA (the European VAT equivalent) and the 2% increase to the ISR, which means workers will get much less money and everything, not just internet access, will go up.

  It’s not just about the extra 20 pesos in our phone bills, what this tax means is yet another hurdle in the way of getting this invaluable tool to the majority of the population. In the long run, it will just put Mexico even further behind technology wise compared to the world.

• [dhchongcuy]

  Hola from México! It’s good to see it’s finally getting attention not only in mexican sites :)

  We started a project at

  http://www.internetnecesario.info/

  where we talk about about the cultural/educative, political, rights-related and economic consequences passing the tax bill will have in a country like ours. The debate on the tax issue has originated a “metadebate” (the twitter #internetnecesario phenomenon, for example) that’s getting more attention than the problem itself. And that’s the thing in Mexico, that’s probably why the legislators didn’t pay attention to the real consequences themselves.

  So well, check out the site.

  @dhchongcuy @_rec @aliviane @demomilton @reginapuma

• [tinoj3]

  This tax is really very bad! I am retired living in Mexico, and I have a 16 yr going to school, and 90% of her homework is done on a computer! Most children here don’t have a computer, so they have to go to cyber cafes that charge minimum $10.00 pesos an hour, not counting paper, printing cost, and this tax will be passed on to them! This is a real hardship for most people in this country!!!

• [Anonymous]

  q poca madre impuesto al internet en mexico dios!!!!!!!!!