Answer to Question #67807 in Finance for Chass Stone

Question

1.) Project Gutenberg is an all volunteer effort to create and distribute eBooks for free that are readable on as many formats (PC, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable device) as possible, within copyright limitations. Currently they have over 33,000 free ebooks available. For example some of their most popular downloadable books are by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. They are registered as a 501(c)(3) charity with the IRS and so donations are tax deductible.
a.) Briefly explain a public finance related economic rationale for this project. b.) How might public policy be used to encourage this project? c.) Does it make more sense for policy related to this project to be handled at the federal, state,or local level? Why? d.) To get some of the benefits from this project people need some access to the internet. Suppose a tax on phone services is used to increase internet access. What would be the likely incidence of such a tax?

Answer 1

1.) Project Gutenberg is an all volunteer effort to create and distribute eBooks for free that are readable on as many formats (PC, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable device) as possible, within copyright limitations. Currently they have over 33,000 free ebooks available. For example some of their most popular downloadable books are by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. They are registered as a 501(c)(3) charity with the IRS and so donations are tax deductible.
a.) A public finance related economic rationale for this project is to stimulate public to read books on their devices, which will increase interest to reading and the overall level of knowledge development of the public, so the quality of labor force will also increase.
b.) Some government financed public policy should be used to encourage this project, because it is important enough.
c.) It will make more sense for policy related to this project to be handled at the federal level, because this project is important not only in local places, but for the whole country.
d.) If a tax on phone services is used to increase internet access, then the likely incidence of such a tax would be inefficience and creation of a deadweight loss.