[OSM-newbies] newbies Digest, Vol 37, Issue 32

[SteveC]

On Mar 23, 2010, at 8:22 PM, Phil Monger wrote:

> Steve Doerr - I don't think I understand your point?
> 
> As had already been pointed out the OS are not tax funded. They act like any other company within the UK making and selling a product. They have done so for 11 years.
> 
> The whole campaign has been driven ahead by the public's anger over having to "pay for the mapping my taxes produced" - when in fact no such situation exists.
> 
> But hey, leading on the ignorance is politics, right?


The OS gets its money from local councils and other agencies, who get their money from the UK taxpayer. Just saying that because it's indirect that it's not really tax money is short sighted, and playing along with the OS's own propaganda.


> On 21 March 2010 19:56, Steve Doerr <steve.doerr at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> On 20/03/2010 13:34, Mike Harris wrote:
> 
> > It might be worth bearing in mind that - thanks in part from the
> > pressures exerted by excellent projects such as OSM - the UK government
> > and the OS are in the process of considerably liberalising their
> > position on what may and what may not be done by taxpayers (who have
> > already funded both the OS and the Highway Authority!)
> 
> Fallacious argument. Virtually every adult in the UK is a taxpayer,
> whereas hardly anyone is an OSM mapper. When the OS sells its products
> to an individual taxpayer, it is a case of 'the many' selling to 'the
> few': everyone pays for the OS, but only a few use its products, so it's
> only fair that the few should compensate the many for the investment
> they've made.
> 
> --
> Steve
> 
> 
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Yours &c.

Steve