US Lawmakers Propose Bills To Extend Internet Taxation Ban

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

10 January 2003

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that two US Congressmen have filed identical bills with the House and the Senate intended to indefinitely extend the current ban on internet taxation.

The current moratorium on e-commerce and internet taxation is set to expire this November, and several cash-starved US states are reported to be considering proposals to impose new taxes on online services.

However, Democrat Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Representative, Chris Cox want to ensure the continuation of the status quo, and that 'multiple and discriminatory' taxes are not imposed on consumers of online services and internet shoppers.

'Putting new, unfair internet taxes on the backs of consumers is not the way to fix state and local budget troubles,' Sen. Wyden told the WSJ. 'It could seriously weaken the growing internet economy and take jobs away from folks working for small web companies.'

According to the Wall Street Journal, lobbying groups representing companies such as Oracle Corp and Microsoft Corp want to see the terms of the moratorium changed to encompass ISPs which offer internet access via cable and other means, as the original ban on internet taxation only benefited internet service providers offering access via dial-up modems, such as America Online (AOL).

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB104205828454137624,00.html?mod=TOPIC

Recommended

Write a comment