According to Swedish news paper DN (Dagens Nyheter) the European Union is to vote on imposing a 14% import tax on any mobile phone with an inbuilt GPS or mobile TV receiver.
The tax is reportedly a response to lobbying by several companies who manufacture Satellite Navigation systems who are concerned that equipping mobile phones with GPS is eating into their business model.
If the TV receiver thing seems a bit random, the tax will apparently be part of an existing law that applies a tax to any device capable of receiving a TV signal – mobile phones are currently exempt.
Some counter-lobbying is going on, with Apple, Sony Ericsson, Cisco, Dell, Motorola and LG Electronics lining up to fight the proposal. Voting is expected to take place in January.
via FudZilla
