I have a few questions about the meta refresh tag.

First of all, does Google view it as a 301 or 302 redirect if the delay is 0 seconds? I've read various sources and they seem to vary. Also, does any PR decay take place through this "redirect"? I mean, it obviously does, but I'm guessing the amount varies depending if the search engine views it as a 301 or 302 redirect.

Finally, is it possible to use the meta refresh tag, not to redirect to a new domain, but rather to fix duplicate content issues (e.g. by redirecting from a non-www domain to its www version)?

I am aware that 301 redirects are preferred, so please don't bother trying to educate me on that.

I am just wondering as my web hosting company does not allow or support 301 redirects, and I'm wondering if this is a possible way to fix duplicate content issues without a 301 redirect.

PLEASE DON'T REPLY TO THIS THREAD IF YOU HAVE NOTHING USEFUL TO SAY OR ARE ONLY GOING TO SAY ONE LINE LIKE "i am also having this problem". Only people who have knowledge about this, thanks.