[Discuss] Effort to repeal Mass Tax on Software Services

[markw at mohawksoft.com (markw at mohawksoft.com)]

> On Thu, Aug 15, 2013 at 1:27 PM, Greg Rundlett (freephile) <
> greg at freephile.com> wrote:
>
>> Gordon, what is your response to this new legislation?  I haven't heard
>> arguments in support of it.
>>
>> I think most people, and virtually all people on this list, would view
>> this tax as both unjust and counterproductive.  It certainly damages the
>> tech sector of the MA economy.
>>
> "Unjust" is pretty rich, coming from a white guy complaining about taxes.
> There are much greater miscarriages of justice accepted without comment or
> complaint (and sometimes, even with approval!) on a daily basis by members
> of this list.
>
> In a world where we've accepted the idea of income tax, sales tax, and
> business-profit-tax (there's probably a better word for this), it seems a
> little farfetched to say that "software services" is the red line that
> taxes can't cross.
>
> There's a larger conversation to be had about taxation in general, the
> role
> of government, etc., but that's even farther off-topic. :--)

While I largely agree with your take on the tax issue, I think the larger
point is the autonomy and freedom to own your work.

By making it very difficult to be "independent," it directly affects my
rights to own my work. I *own* a lot of code I wrote whilst I was
contracting and was able to license that code to the client. I now work
full time at a company and do not own my work.

>
> Gordon
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