Ghanaians Can Buy Goats on the Internet?

SEATTLE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - (At the WTO talks) Nii Quaynor, founder of Ghana's oldest and largest Internet service provider, was sympathetic with an idea of a proposed 5% across-the-board tax on Internet transactions to be divided evenly between the seller and buyer country. However he said he did not support a single flat rate for all transactions and regions.

``I think eventually small governments like mine will need to make up some revenues in this area,'' said Quaynor, chief executive of NCS Internet Gateway.

He said in an interview that the online commerce revolution already has transformed life for African businesses, consumers and expatriates.

For example, he said Africans living abroad can now use the Internet to buy goats and other livestock online for their relatives back home, simplifying the repatriation of capital. And he said the Internet allows business owners to check on the prices of items such as copy machines, creating more fairness in most markets.

``That means the price gouging that used to go on is somewhat being eliminated,'' he said.