Taxpayer group believes President Bush can persuade Senator to stop his efforts to kill legislation that permanently extends Internet access tax moratorium during his upcoming trip to Tennessee
WASHINGTON – On Thursday January 8, 2004, President George Bush will visit Knoxville, Tenn. to celebrate the 2 nd anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act ., and discuss its benefits and successes . Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is urging the President to seize this opportunity to discuss to the Internet Non-Discrimination Act, and request that Sen. Alexander stop his opposition to the legislation.
"Since President Bush has continuously been a hero to taxpayers across the country, he may be able to convince Senator Alexander to stop protecting tax collectors and work on defending taxpayers instead," said Grover Norquist , president of ATR. "Since Senator Alexander succeeded in killing the moratorium on Internet taxes, all future taxes on Internet access will be known as the Lamar "Sundquist" Alexander net taxes."
In 1998 and in 2001, Congress acted to stop taxes that unfairly single out the Internet. However, because Sen. Alexander prevented the Senate from passing a new ban on Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory taxes, Americans now face the prospect of paying taxes on everything from e-mail to instant messages, and filters for spam or junk email. These taxes will punish schools, libraries, hospitals and families – those who use the Internet for research, education, and, most critically, communication.
"President Bush is opposed to I nternet taxes because they are complicated, unfair, and an immense burden on the economy, and yoke future growth and innovation . Because the Internet was tax-free for the last five years, individuals and small businesses that could otherwise not afford access to the Internet began to share in the wealth of e-commerce opportunities," said Norquist.
"But now, that\’s all going to change. We\’re hoping President Bush asks Sen. Alexander to stop blocking the effort to bar taxes on Internet access, double-taxation of products and services bought over the Internet, and discriminatory taxes that treat Internet purchases differently from other types of purchases, " he said.
Supporters of the Internet Tax Non-discrimination Act have worked tirelessly to address the concerns expressed by Senators and state and local groups. But so far, Sen. Alexander has succeeded in leading the effort to torpedo any anti-Internet tax measure.