[discuss] Current drive

[John Curran]

On Apr 3, 2014, at 2:33 PM, michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
>  
> But a couple of other points:
> 1.       ICANN’s privileged position in the Internet gives it the opportunity to obtain significant revenues from the Internet—some have described this as “rent” others as a “tax” on the Internet and/or Internet users.
> 2.       Given the nature of ICANN’s role and history these funds I would argue are in a sense funds collected on behalf of the entire Internet community which I, at least, would define as everyone since everyone in the world is now in one way or another impacted by the Internet, with increasing numbers more directly involved in contributing either directly or indirectly to the content and operation of the Internet. (If these funds are not collected on behalf of the global internet community who in fact are they being collected for and by what authority?)
> ...

Michael - 
 
   If ICANN is collecting more than is necessary for fulfilling its mission regarding
   coordination and stability of Internet identifier system (including appropriate and
   conservative reserve development given such its very important mission), then
   that should be fixed; it represents a simple governance challenge with respect 
   to those paying for the services and the overall cost of delivery.

   Repainting the funds as a "tax" in the public trust, and then establishing a regime 
   for management of them would change the nature of ICANN, effectively creating
   "taxation" powers that  would normally be reserved for governments, and completely
   without need, purely resulting from the avoidance of addressing what should be
   a simple issue.

   There are associations which coordinate systems such as credit card numbers and
   bar codes, and charge the organizations who use those systems, with the resulting 
   imputed costs passed along as a nominal component of what is seen by the public.
   I'd prefer that none of these organizations starting pretending to be governmental
   taxation authorities by collecting more than they need for their narrow mission; the 
   same logic applies to ICANN in its mission of coordination of the Internet identifier
   spaces.

Thanks!
/John

Disclaimer:  My views alone.




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