Online store implements world’s first Internet Explorer 7 tax
Rusland Kogan, proprietor of the online electronics store Kogan.com, may have just invented the most popular tax ever -- at least among developers.
On Wednesday, he announced on his company’s blog that customers who access Kogan.com using Internet Explorer 7 will face an additional 6.8% “Internet Explorer 7 tax” on all products purchased on the site.
The tax was generally greeted with cheers and congratulations. As one commenter on the blog said: “Web developers everywhere salute you, good sirs.”
Kogan doesn’t really expect anyone to pay the tax, but he does want people to stop using Internet Explorer 7 so that he doesn’t have to pay his Web team to spend time making the site look normal in the out-of-date IE7.
“It’s not only costing us a huge amount, it’s affecting any business with an online presence, and costing the Internet economy millions,” he writes.
If you are using Internet Explorer 7 and buy a product on the site, a “tax notice” window will pop up to warn you of the tax.
“It appears you or your system administrator have been in a coma for 5 years and you are still using IE7,” it reads. “To help make the web a better place, you will be charged 6.8% tax on your purchase from Kogan.com”
Kogan wants people to know it is easy to get around IE7 tax. All you have to do is upgrade your browser.
“This will help us increase our efficiency, help keep prices for all smart shoppers down, and hopefully help eradicate ... the pain in the rear that is IE7,” he writes.
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