In article <[email hidden]>, Broadback
<[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:If the maps were not created for the benefit of the taxpayer, who were
they created for?
It isn't that simple. There are ongoing costs in making the data
available and creating new data / updating existing data. Who should pay
for that those who use the OS products or the general tax payers?
Quoted message said:Interesting that Wales has yet another advantage over England.
The WA pays the OS for the data used so the general tax payers, not just
those in Wales (the WA is funded by the treasury), are paying for it. As
they don't have an unlimited budget the money that they spend on
licensing the OS data will obviously not be spent elsewhere. SO although
the Welsh may be at some advantage due to this policy they may also be
at a disadvantage in other areas.
Now my personal opinion is that making the OS data readily available at
far more reasonable rates would firstly stimulate growth in businesses
adding value to the data and secondly increase efficiency in businesses
that would benefit from OS data but currently see it as too expensive. A
combination of those two points would increase the tax raised from those
businesses which I suspect would more than compensate for the reduced
income from or increased subsidy to the OS.
--
Dominic Sexton
