UK music pirates could soon see their illegal activities become perfectly legal in a newly unveiled tax plan.

Under the plan, supported by UK ministers, internet users can pay an annual tax which would allow them to download and share as many music files as they want, reports The Independent.

Copyright holders of the music will be reimbursed from this levy according to the popularity of the songs being shared.

The plan also includes warning letters that will be sent by the UK's top ISPs to the parents of illegal downloaders, according to the Daily Mail.

Offenders who ignore these letters will face a number of measures, including having their internet connection speeds trimmed to make the downloading of big files a nightmare.

The illegal downloading of music files on the internet could cost the industry as much as £1-billion over the next five years.