Online Retailer Imposes 'Internet Explorer 7 Tax'

An online retailer has pledged to attach a 6.8 percent tax to any purchases made from the Internet Explorer 7 browser.

The added fee went into effect yesterday on Kogan.com and shows up as "Internet Explorer 7 TAX (6.8%) on a user's bill upon checkout. This can, of course, be avoided by upgrading to the most recent version of Internet Explorer, IE9, or using another, current browser.

"The way we've been able to keep our prices so low is by using technology to make our business efficient and streamlined," Kogan wrote in a blog post. "One of the things stopping that is our Web team having to spend a lot of time making our new website look normal on IE7."

Why 6.8 percent? Kogan said it is 0.1 percent for every month IE7 has been on the market.

Those on non-Microsoft browsers will not face a surcharge; Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome employ frequent, automatic updates, so users do not have to worry about upgrading themselves.

"As Internet citizens, we all have a responsibility to make the Internet a better place. By taking these measures, we are doing our bit," Kogan said. "This will help us increase our efficiency, help keep prices for all smart shoppers down, and hopefully help eradicate the world of the pain in the rear that is IE7!"

"So, what are you waiting for? Time to upgrade your browser!" Kogan concluded.

Kogan is an Australia-based consumer electronics retailer founded in 2006, and as The Verge noted, the IE7 campaign is likely a good way for Kogan to get its name out there.

Microsoft declined to comment on the Kogan campaign, but the software giant has made its own push to get IE users off older versions of the browser. In March 2011, Microsoft and unveiled ie6countdown.com, a site that will keep tabs on the dwindling use of the now decade-old IE6.

Last year, that Black Friday should also be "Update Your Parents' Browser Day." Why should you care about browser updates? It's largely a security and access issue. Newer browser versions include security patches and updates as well as support for new Web technologies like HTML5.

According to May 2012 stats from Net Applications, IE8 is the most popular browser version worldwide with 26.92 percent of the market, followed by IE9 at 17 percent and Firefox 12 at 11.15 percent. About 3.43 percent of users are still on IE7, while 6.17 percent are on IE6.

For more, see PCMag's reviews of (slideshow below), as well as and .