Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!rutgers!mcdchg!ddsw1!zane From: zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Sameer Parekh) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Big Brother charging for modem use? Message-ID: <1991Mar23.025428.6672@ddsw1.MCS.COM> Date: 23 Mar 91 02:54:28 GMT References: <1991Mar16.042030.18706@ddsw1.MCS.COM> Organization: ddsw1.MCS.COM Contributor, Wheeling, IL Lines: 27 In article peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Sameer Parekh) writes: >> This is NOT a reasonable policy even if it doesn't include software >> uploads. If a BBS asks for money, that does not necesarily mean that >> it makes a profit. > >And just because it doesn't make a profit, doesn't mean it's residential. >Bringing the IRS into it is a red herring: the IRS has different goals, >different reasons for classifying something as a business. They don't tax >churches at all, but churches are businesses for IRS purposes. On the other >hand, someone working at home (say, painting) is not a business to the >phone company but they still have to report business profits to the IRS. > >Basically, the IRS is in charge of taxes. They care if you are making money >by engaging in business transactions. The phone company is in charge of >phone service. They care if a phone line is primarily used for business >transactions. You have some good points. But what are we going to do, find motives? Most BBSes are hobbies, not businesses, even if they do take money. Maybe if the classification was called high-volume or low-volume I wouldn't mind, because that is the reason (I think) that business rates are more. (Yet they give volume discounts. . .) -- The Ravings of the Insane Maniac Sameer Parekh -- zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM