Pom,

It is not a tax. You can use any punctuation you wish, and you can insist on anything you wish, but you are talking about something you do not understand. I understand it, BAW understands it; Stu certainly understands it, but you don't. Live with it.

If I own a shoe store, I have a right to charge for my merchandise. Even though the law backs me up and says that you must pay the price if you want shoes (even if you can't afford shoes), it is still not a tax. If you come in and walk off with a pair of shoes without paying, I will call the cops and you will have to appear in court, where you will be convicted of taking something that does not belong to you. The courts will make you pay restitution, or go to the pokie. It is not a tax. It is called fairness under the law...fair to me because my mechandise is protected, and fair (although unhappy) for you, because you have to pay a just penalty.

The PROs are simply a "song store." They represent the owners of songs, and they collect the fees for their use. This has nothing to do with taxation, no matter what you think. You are wrong. Period.

You are saying that the people who write songs should be forced--by law--to provide their work for free to those who cannot afford it. THAT sounds like a tax to me.