TPA Joins Coalition Urging Support for House ‘Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act’

The federal government has a taxing and spending problem.  The solution to both is to do less spending and less taxing.  One area that the government wants to extend their taxing authority is the Internet and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has been actively fighting against these taxes.  Yesterday, TPA was excited to see the bipartisan Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act introduced in the House by Judiciary Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D – Calif.), Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio).  This bill follows last month’s introduction of the bipartisan Senate version from Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The House version permanently extends the moratorium on Internet access taxes and prohibits multiple and discriminatory taxation of Internet commerce. It has been fifteen years since the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) was first enacted. The Internet has become one of the primary forces driving commerce in the global economy today. It’s impossible for anyone to have thought fifteen years ago as to the importance of the Internet in our everyday lives, so TPA applauds both the House and Senate efforts to ensure the spirit for which the ITFA was originally enacted. This week, TPA signed on to a coalition letter urging support for the House version of the Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act in the hopes that consumers can be protected from more new taxes on Internet access by state and local governments searching for new ways to generate revenue for themselves. Taxpayers and consumers shouldn’t be the target of government schemes aimed at higher taxes that ultimately do more harm than good.

Read the full letter here:

September 12, 2013

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte

Rayburn House Office Building #2309

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Anna Eshoo

Cannon House Office Building, #241

Washington, DC 20515

Re: Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2013 (H.R. 3086)

Dear Chairman Goodlatte and Representative Eshoo,

The Internet Tax Freedom Act Coalition applauds your leadership in introducing the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act which permanently extends the moratorium on Internet access taxes and prohibits multiple and discriminatory taxation of Internet commerce. When the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) was first enacted, the opportunity presented by the Internet was just beginning to show its promise. However, during the fifteen years since ITFA first instituted a moratorium on the taxation of Internet access, the Internet has become the engine of our 21st century global economy. There has been tremendous innovation leading to increased business productivity, development of countless computer applications and enhanced access to education, employment and health care resources. The importance of the Internet to numerous aspects of our everyday lives has expanded beyond anyone’s initial dreams.

The impact of the Internet is evident in the scope of its use to help displaced workers look for new job opportunities, to permit students to access online educational materials to complete their homework, to provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with access to new marketplaces throughout the nation and across the globe and to enable consumers to access information and entertainment anywhere and at any time. The Internet provides consumers with access to health care monitoring services, government services, wireless AMBER alerts and 24/7 news coverage.

Broadband networks connect global markets and consumers without regard to state and national boundaries. Passing the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act will protect consumers from new taxes that would inevitably be imposed on Internet access by state and local governments seeking new sources of revenue to fund government services. It also ensures that consumers will not be subjected to discriminatory taxation of new innovative services or duplicative taxation by multiple states and localities claiming authority to tax the same transaction.

Introduction of this bill is a critical step to ensure that consumers continue to be protected from having their Internet access burdened by new state and local taxes and their purchases over the Internet burdened by multiple and discriminatory taxes. Originally passed in 1998 and extended three times since with broad bipartisan support, ITFA encourages the flow of commerce and information over the Internet and improves our nation’s ability to compete in the global economy.

We commend you on your efforts to protect consumers by making ITFA permanent and look forward to working with you and other members of Congress to achieve this important goal through the enactment of the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act in 2014.

Sincerely,

Amazon

Americans for Tax Reform

AT&T

CenturyLink

Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Comcast

Cox Enterprises

CTIA – The Wireless Association

Digital Liberty

Institute for Policy Innovation

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Madery Bridge Associates

National Black Chamber of Commerce

National Cable and Telecommunications Association

NTCA- The Rural Broadband Association

National Taxpayers Union

Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Time Warner Cable

T-Mobile

U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

USTelecom Association

Verizon

cc: The Honorable Spencer Bachus

Rayburn House Office Building, #2246

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steve Cohen

Rayburn House Office Building, #2404

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steve Chabot

Rayburn House Office Building, #2371

Washington, DC 20515