A proposal last week by an Italian political party to tax SMS tex...

proposal won’t go anywhere. But Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was reported to be considering a 0.01-euro tax -- which could bring in nearly 540 million euro (about $700 million) -- in order to give tax breaks to companies and employees. The consumer group AltroConsumo criticized the proposal, saying consumers already pay for text messaging at widely varying and confusing rates. A tax on SMS would be a further injury to consumer rights and guarantees, the group said. Last week, Communications Minister Maurizio Gasparri said the tax would “be an idiocy.” Gasparri was quoted as saying the telecom sector is burdened already by significant fiscal responsibilities and that an SMS tax is the most unpopular choice one could make. European mobile operators think specific taxes on communications are “not in the best interests of the countries concerned,” said a GSM Europe spokesman. No such tax exists in Europe now, and suggesting the idea is “always a danger” because govts. like to generate revenue, he said. Mobile operators’ concern would be that such a tariff would stifle one of the great benefits of being able to communicate, he said. Italian mobile operators haven’t said anything about the proposal because it’s “just political talk,” said the Telecom Italia spokesman. It’s unlikely to happen because Gasparri disparaged it, he said. Operators perceive it “as a political provocation,” the spokesman said. The idea for an SMS tax arose in the Philippines, but the proposal reportedly has suffered a setback due to a wave of consumer protests.