Portugal’s parliament is to debate a government proposal for a tax on the sale of digital devices – including phones, tablets and set-top boxes.<br /><br />The more digital storage capacity the device has the higher the levy that would be charged. <br /><br />The culture minister, Jorge Barreto Xavier, wants the 15 to 20 million euros that he believes would be raised by the tax to go to Portugal’s copyright organisations. <br /><br />They would then pass the money on to artists, including musicians and writers. <br /><br />The Portuguese Society of Authors backs the idea. Telecoms operators are opposed to it, saying this is a hidden tax.
