Orange County, CA | March 7, 2000 Election |
Don't Tax the Internet!By David F. NolanCandidate for United States Representative; District 47 | |
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The Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce should reject any proposal to tax the Internet. As an investment in America's prosperity, the Internet should be protected as a tax-free zone forever.Americans placed 36 million gift orders at online shopping sites during the 1999 Christmas shopping holiday season, which is a compelling argument why the Internet should remain tax-free -- not just this Christmas but forever, the Libertarian Party said today "Politicians shouldn't tax the goose that is laying the golden egg for the American economy," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "E-commerce is creating jobs, growing the next generation of American business success stories, and generating profits for millions of American shareholders. "To keep this boom going, politicians should keep their greedy hands -- and their destructive taxes -- off the Internet." According to BizRate.com, e-commerce generated $3.35 billion in revenue this holiday season, a four-fold increase over last year. And experts say online sales could reach $100 billion by 2003. In response, politicians -- including the National Governors' Association -- have demanded that e-commerce be taxed, arguing that state governments are "losing" sales tax money when people shop online. A federal Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce is now studying the issue, and will present a recommendation to Congress by April 21, 2000. Options include extending the current three-year moratorium on Internet taxes; creating a new national sales tax; or forcing cyberbusinesses to collect local and state sales taxes from every online shopper. For Libertarians, the answer is obvious, said Dasbach: Give the Internet a permanent tax exemption. "The Internet's current tax-free status makes it a nationwide Enterprise Zone that benefits everyone -- as demonstrated by the skyrocketing sales figures this Christmas season," he said. "Instead of figuring out how to exploit the Internet for the benefit of politicians, we should consider how to protect it for the benefit of all Americans." And even if you're not an online shopper, said Dasbach, there are many good reasons to oppose an Internet tax:
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