Gov.
Mike Leavitt to Internet Users:
Drop Dead
WASHINGTON-
Today Gov. Mike Leavitt (R-UT) spoke at a press conference to
urge Congress to reject the taxpayer-friendly report to be submitted
by the federal Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce (ACEC).
The
Internet has been under attack from the pro-tax increase forces
for more than two years.
"Leavitt's
continued assault on the Internet should be viewed as a direct
threat to taxpayers and to those who utilize the Internet in
their daily lives," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans
for Tax Reform and a staunch defender of keeping the Internet
free from government intervention.
"Amazingly,
Leavitt's call to tax the Internet to increase state and local
revenues comes at a time when most states are running sizeable
budget surpluses," Norquist continued.
"Moreover, state and local revenue has grown from 6.9
percent of GDP to 9 percent of GDP from 1968 to 1998."
"Why
do states need more money if they are running surpluses and
their revenue has increased significantly as a percentage of
GDP since the late 1960s," Norquist wondered.
"The
final report of the ACEC was a strong statement to pro-tax increase
forces that their plans to raise taxes will be opposed.
Gov. Leavitt and other members of the pro-tax coalition
are attempting to undermine the hard work of the commission
by lobbying Congress to reject the final plan adopted by the
ACEC."
