Americans for Tax Reform pushes for last minute vote to save Internet tax moratorium

WASHINGTON - With troubling delays in the passage of the Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act (S. 150), Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) today launched a site where concerned taxpayers can let their Senators know they expect an immediate vote. ATR's new site, http://www.StopInternetTax.org provides a quick and easy way to send a note to Senators. The taxpayers' group is concerned about the late hour, as the existing moratorium on Internet taxes expires on Nov. 1.

"By visiting StopInternetTax.org, taxpayers can immediately let their Senators know that they expect an immediate floor vote on S. 150. If the bill is not passed by November 1st, states and localities across the nation will begin thinking of ways to tax the Internet. Your Internet bill will soon look like your phone bill: Taxes will have to have their own separate page. The time to pass S. 150 is now, and without watering it down," said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist.

S. 150 seemed to be heading for a quick floor vote, before several Senators threw out roadblocks in the way of progress to the floor. Senators Voinovich (R-Ohio), Alexander (R-Tenn.), Cantwell (D-Wash), and Conrad (D-N.D.) have been named by ATR as major opponents in the fight to protect e-mail and other Internet services from taxation.

"It is particularly troublesome that just as the technology sector is showing signs of improvement, some groups and individuals are clamoring for their chance to stifle the growth of the online economy. But we're confident that when Senators see the outcry from taxpayers, they'll exert pressure on their colleagues to stop these roadblocks and let S. 150 come to a vote on the floor," Norquist said.

ATR's new site for contacting the Senate is http://www.StopInternetTax.org . More information on ATR's fight against Internet taxes can be found on the organization's website at http://www.atr.org .