Not content with taxing just about everything in sight to pay for a decade of competence, the scorched earth policy continues with Labour’s attempt at a world record – the first government to tax absolutely everything.

As set out in the June’s Digital Britain report, we are still on course for a 50p a month stealth tax on fixed phone lines “to fund next-gen broadband” whatever that means. Hypothecation of taxes is of course nigh-on impossible from an accounting point of view, so just chalk that up to typical ZanuLabour tosh.

Considering that yet another tax would be unpopular in a general election year, Treasury minister Stephen Timms is hinting that those plans would turn up in a finance bill following a Budget in 2010. “We will be consulting on the ‘Final Third’ fund in the autumn, but no final decisions have yet been made about the legislative vehicle for introduction of the levy.”

The Sunday Times quoted Timms as saying that he couldn’t “definitely” commit to such a levy being legislated prior to the election next year. “I can’t say for sure,” he said.

However, as it will be an election year Timms, who recently replaced Lord Carter – author of the Digital Britain report – told pet journalists that a short bill listing popular measures was more likely to be pushed through ahead of UK voters going to the polls. Once that was common parlance for election bribes. Under Labour it’s become a catchphrase for screwing you in every orifice but saying that it started in America anyway.

“Things that are contentious will have to be left until afterwards,” he said, according to the Sunday Times. Like the discovery that the British taxpayer has an as yet untapped orifice.

The Tories are against the 50p broadband levy being contained in the finance bill so this is all rather academic as it’s a racing certainty that Brown and his chums are electoral toast and this tax won’t happen.

The Digital Britain forum has a new blog post up here with some more.