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NEWS RELEASE
October 23, 2003
CONTACT: David Fish
(202) 289-8928
   

32 Organizations Sign
"No New Internet Tax" Letter

Senators Receive Advice Advice From National & State Experts

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thirty-two policy experts from national and state organizations have co-signed a letter received today by each member of the U.S. Senate calling for a quick extension of the moratorium on new taxation of electronic commerce and Internet access. The current consumer protections are set to expire next week.

“The current consumer protections against undue, discriminatory and potentially multiple Internet access taxes are set to expire on November 1, 2003 ,” reads the letter signed by Progress & Freedom Foundation President Raymond L. Gifford and 31 others based in Washington and 21 states. “Respectfully, we ask you to favor a policy that promotes consumer protections, tax competition and a proper role for each sovereign state in our federal system of government.

“The need for technologically neutral laws – particularly in the area of taxation – is paramount for the continued development of a robust competitive communications marketplace,” they write.

The signers support “an extension of the moratorium on new taxation of electronic commerce and Internet access” such as that contained in legislation by Virginia Senator George Allen, the Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 (S 150). They say that measure “does not speak to all communications services” and “would have no effect on state or local corporate income or property taxes…”

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.

 

 

The Progress & Freedom Foundation