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Dear
Senators Allen, Burns, Warner and Gregg:
On behalf of the Center for Individual Freedom, I am writing to
express our ardent support of S. 777, the Internet Tax Non-Discrimination
Act. We applaud your leadership in the fight to keep the Internet
free from access taxes that will hamper the progress of technology
and free trade.
As the deadline for the Internet tax moratorium approaches, members
of Congress have failed to reach an agreement on how to proceed
on this very important issue. This is in large part due to the encumbrance
of proposals that seek uniformity and simplification in the collection
of state and local Internet sales taxes.
We believe the "simplification" issue should be eliminated
from the moratorium on access taxes as your bill will accomplish.
The greatest myth in the debate over Internet taxation is that online
sales are tax-free. The failure of the states to collect sales taxes
from their citizens on remote online sales is simply that –
the failure of the states. But it is not the role of Congress to
assist in the collection of state sales taxes.
The Internet has been a driving force in our prospering economy
over the past decade. It is imperative that Congress moves to permanently
protect the Internet from new and discriminatory taxes. The Center
stands ready to assist you in urging all members of Congress to
protect unfettered access to the Internet with passage of the Internet
Tax Non-Discrimination Act.
The Center for Individual Freedom is a non-partisan, non-profit
organization with the mission to examine and focus public, legislative
and judicial attention on individual freedoms and individual rights
guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. As free-market advocates, we
are opposed to over-burdensome state and federal regulations and
taxing regimes that will impede the evolution of electronic commerce.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Mazzella
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
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