A new group has formed to push for disallowing taxes on
Internet access and sales.
There has been a moratorium on such taxes since passage of
the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) in 1998, and expires unless renewed, which
it has been three times. It is up for renewal again next year. Sens. Ron Wyden
(D-Ore.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) have introduced a bill, theInternet Tax Freedom Forever Bill, which would make the moratorium
permanent.
To get behind that effort, The National Cable &
Telecommunications Association, along with wireless companies, individual cable
operator powerhouses -- Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable -- Amazon and others
have formed the ITFA Coalition, whose mission is described as to "maintain
and grow consumer access to the Internet and Internet commerce by ensuring that
consumer purchases of Internet access remain free from taxation and goods and
services sold over the Internet are not subject to multiple and discriminatory
taxation." Specifically that means keeping the net free of state and local
taxes on Internet taxes and multiple taxes on Internet sales.
Coalition members also include AT&T,
CenturyLink, CTIA: The Wireless Association, Information Technology and
Innovation Foundation, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Taxpayers
Union, NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association, Taxpayers Protection Alliance,
T-Mobile, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, US Telecom, and Verizon.
