MORE OPPOSITION TO ANTI-COMPETITIVE BILL
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Recording Media Association is trying to stop the federal government from imposing a 60% tax on blank audio tapes. The organization launched a national print campaign earlier this month which promoted a toll-free line consumers could call to record what they think of the tax. The concerns will be forwarded to the Heritage Department by next week. The ads were created by National Public Relations of Toronto. CRMA is opposed to the tax because it is not illegal for consumers to tape songs or speeches for their own personal use. It's only illegal if they plan on selling the tape. Churches use the tapes to record sermons and schools use tapes in classrooms. The proposal is part of Bill C-32. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters also opposes the bill because it denies two crucial rights to broadcasters. One is a time-shifting exemption and the other is a transfer-of-format right. Without the time-shifting exemption, broadcasters could be fined for airing replays or delaying live broadcasts to accommodate Canada's six time zones. A transfer-of-format right would recognize that vinyl records and 8-track tapes aren't used on air anymore. Without this flexibility, stations face fines for everyday practices such as downloading programs from satellite to tape, or transferring CDs onto studio equipment. The bill would also require stations to pay new music fees to artists and recording companies. Private radio stations already pay 3.2% of their revenues for music rights. Bill C-32 is currently in its third reading in the House of Commons.