As reported by Roll Call on Monday night, when asked about the so-called ‘marketplace fairness act’ House Speaker John Boehner’s spokesman said:
The speaker has made clear in the past he has significant concerns about the bill, and it won’t move forward this year,” said spokesman Kevin Smith. “The Judiciary Committee continues to examine the measure and the broader issue. In the meantime, the House and Senate should work together to extend the moratorium on internet taxation without further delay.
Today, Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist issued the following statement in praise of Boehner:
Too many politicians in state capitols and Washington have looked at the internet only as a way to raise taxes. They want to tax Internet access, they want to tax Internet sales. Boehner has drawn a line in the sand saying the American people come first and politicians need to keep their hands off the Internet. This gives encouragement to American taxpayers and consumers that we will win this fight. Obama says yes to taxing the Internet, Reid says yes to taxing the Internet. Speaker Boehner just said ‘hell no’ to taxing the Internet. Boehner wins. The American consumer wins.
In addition, Katie McAuliffe, Federal Affairs manager for Americans for Tax Reform and Executive Director of Digital Liberty, said:
Passing a short term extension of the Internet tax moratorium that still allows states to implement Internet access taxes is not a ‘deal’ Americans should accept. It is far better to let the moratorium expire and reinstitute in the next Congress than to accept a bill that exposes Americans to 45 different state departments of revenue and 50 states regulatory burdens.