meirda
10-17-2007, 05:00 AM
[/color] (matthew@mediabiz.com)
</span>A tax moratorium on the internet will expire Nov. 1 if lawmakers fail to renew the legislation. If certain interests are appeased, internet users like you and I should expect to see an increase in service rates as additional taxes would undoubtedly be passed on to consumers.
Currently there is a handful of bills being passed around both the House and Senate to extend the moratorium for several more years. Some lawmakers would even like to see the ban on taxing internet access become permanent.
[color=#003366]H.R. 743 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00743:) - The Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2007, introduces by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (R-Calif.) would make the internet tax ban permanent. The bill carries 238 cosponsors, making its passage in the House very likely when it comes to vote.
S. 1453 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.01453:) - Similar to Rep. John Conyers' (D-Mich.) H.R. 3678 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.03678:), Sen. Thomas R. Carper's (D-Del.) S.1453 bill would amend the Internet Tax Freedom Act to extend the moratorium on the internet and other forms of electronic commerce until Nov. 1, 2011.
<span style="color:#003366">S. 2128 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02128:) - Introduced by Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), this bill would make the moratorium on internet access taxes and "multiple and discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce" permanent. The Senate may vote on this bill in the coming days.
A ban of internet taxes was first enacted in 1994 and Congress has since extended the moratorium twice in 2001 and 2004. If the tax ban is allowed to expire, new taxes would certainly raise the cost of what has traditionally been an inexpensive and invaluable resource for everyone. Some lawmakers believe the cost for internet access could skyrocket by as much as 20 percent.
Praise should be given to Rep. Jim Walsh (R-NY) who recently called on Congress to enact the permanent tax ban. In support of H.R. 743, Walsh acknowledged that during the past 20 years, the internet has revolutionized the way Americans communicate, teach our children and conduct business. "Taxing internet access will have a detrimental impact upon our economy and our quality of life," he said. "Congressional leadership should quickly put forward a bill that permanently bans this detrimental tax."
It should be noted that Tuesday, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of H.R. 3678 with a 405-2 vote. The bill basically bars state and local governments from taxing internet connections and prohibits "discriminatory" taxes that label products sold via the internet differently than those sold in brick-and-mortar stores -- a separate issue of imposing sales tax on goods bought online. If the bill becomes law, Americans should see tax-free internet access bills for another four years.
</span>A tax moratorium on the internet will expire Nov. 1 if lawmakers fail to renew the legislation. If certain interests are appeased, internet users like you and I should expect to see an increase in service rates as additional taxes would undoubtedly be passed on to consumers.
Currently there is a handful of bills being passed around both the House and Senate to extend the moratorium for several more years. Some lawmakers would even like to see the ban on taxing internet access become permanent.
[color=#003366]H.R. 743 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00743:) - The Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2007, introduces by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (R-Calif.) would make the internet tax ban permanent. The bill carries 238 cosponsors, making its passage in the House very likely when it comes to vote.
S. 1453 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.01453:) - Similar to Rep. John Conyers' (D-Mich.) H.R. 3678 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.03678:), Sen. Thomas R. Carper's (D-Del.) S.1453 bill would amend the Internet Tax Freedom Act to extend the moratorium on the internet and other forms of electronic commerce until Nov. 1, 2011.
<span style="color:#003366">S. 2128 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02128:) - Introduced by Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), this bill would make the moratorium on internet access taxes and "multiple and discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce" permanent. The Senate may vote on this bill in the coming days.
A ban of internet taxes was first enacted in 1994 and Congress has since extended the moratorium twice in 2001 and 2004. If the tax ban is allowed to expire, new taxes would certainly raise the cost of what has traditionally been an inexpensive and invaluable resource for everyone. Some lawmakers believe the cost for internet access could skyrocket by as much as 20 percent.
Praise should be given to Rep. Jim Walsh (R-NY) who recently called on Congress to enact the permanent tax ban. In support of H.R. 743, Walsh acknowledged that during the past 20 years, the internet has revolutionized the way Americans communicate, teach our children and conduct business. "Taxing internet access will have a detrimental impact upon our economy and our quality of life," he said. "Congressional leadership should quickly put forward a bill that permanently bans this detrimental tax."
It should be noted that Tuesday, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of H.R. 3678 with a 405-2 vote. The bill basically bars state and local governments from taxing internet connections and prohibits "discriminatory" taxes that label products sold via the internet differently than those sold in brick-and-mortar stores -- a separate issue of imposing sales tax on goods bought online. If the bill becomes law, Americans should see tax-free internet access bills for another four years.