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."