Stephen Timms, the minister charged with overseeing Britain’s “digital revolution,” pledged yesterday to pass the £6-a-year broadband tax into law “before the general election,” despite opposition from the Conservatives.

Mr Timms, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and minister for Digital Britain, said: “We want to make high speed networks nationally available. The next-generation fund will help that and we will legislate for it this side of a general election.”

To read this report in The Independent in full, see:
www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/1636-broadband-tax-will-be-law-before-next-election-1792266.html

Also see:

£6 broadband tax to be made law before election, minister says
The government is pressing ahead with plans to introduce its controversial £6 a year broadband tax before the election, despite potential opposition from the Conservatives.

Stephen Timms, the treasury minister in charge of implementing the Digital Britain plan, said today that a 50p a month levy on all UK phone lines will be contained in this year’s finance bill.
www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/23/broadband-tax-election