Mary White from the Irish Green Party suggested a novel way of raising some cash for the very strapped Irish economy. A 1 cent tax on every text sent would raise a lot from the text addicts in the Republic. Great Idea! ..well maybe…
First of all, we are happy to congratulate any politician who comes up with some new thoughts regarding the current financial debacle. The lack of innovative thinking in many political responses is second only perhaps to the lack of any structured thinking. The last thing we need is to make it difficult for new ideas to be evaluated. However there are lessons to be learned for the innovator from this little political episode.
Lesson 1. Double check the basics
The weakest link in your idea pitch can take you down. In Mary’s case getting the (simple) maths wrong is a major blow.Hard to look smart when your figures are out by €1bn. In many of the invention proposals I have seen, a little error in maths or physics or a units conversion have caused them to become undone. The simple things are the easy bits to get right and get checked. The weakest link can cause the chain to break.
Lesson 2. Can we implement it?
In theory a 1cent tax or a levy could be done, but many people get their texts for free in a bundle or free within a network, how would that work? Also VAT is paid at 21.5% on your mobile bill anyway so are we not getting taxed already? These could all be solved but in the implementation of the solutions the nature of the problem changes as well? Do people text because it is “free” for them? Would people text less? In evaluating inventions the wider ecosystem must be taken into account. Business impact is often why some inventions do not progress, the cost to the business of implementation or retooling might be too high. The inventions might work on a technical level but fail on the business level. If your idea causes a change then factor assumptions about that change into the projected benefits, positive or negative.
Lesson 3. Consider the consequences of success
This is the Ecology piece ( irony much). If you got your idea implemented what would happen? In this case the burden of this tax would fall on the teens and their parents who pay the bills.Is that the target for taxation now? With those on pay monthly or other plans the pain would probably be spread to all the customers, so we all pay more. Increasing the cost of doing business in Ireland is always the danger with any taxation. Texting is a cheap, useful and efficient method of communication. and encouragement should be given to solutions that are cheap, useful and efficient not penalties. It would raise some revenue, definitely, but what is the total cost? and to whom? Also consider the change in the system that your idea creates. Workarounds exist such as webtexts, just calling, not texting, Instant Messaging, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, Skype, If other technologies or solutions exist then make sure your idea just doesn’t make them more attractive. If they don’t exist at the moment, they will in the future and you are accelerating their arrival.
Lesson 4. Don’t get put off.
I am sure Mary White, like all politicians, has a fairly thick skin and will bounce back. It is disheartening to have your great idea shot down. Especially if you have put a lot of effort into it and especially if the reasons have more to do with the business than your technology or design. I have learned something from every invention I proposed that got knocked back. I learned to present ideas more effectively, to include more business sensitivity and to clarify and express the benefits to the audience. There is no such thing as failure only feedback.
So, great to see some new ideas, like to see some more. A bit of thought into implementation and the consequences of success can go a long way too.
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