Senator Ted Cruz took to the floor Thursday to push for a bill known as the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, saying if the Senate doesn’t act now, “the internet will be taxed in November.”
Watch Cruz implore his colleagues to act and keep the internet tax free…
Explaining to his colleagues that a tax-free internet “should unite us all,” Cruz urged the Senate to pass H. R. 3086.
“You know, there’s not a lot of agreement in this town on much of anything, including what time of day it is. And yet on internet taxes, in 1998 President Bill Clinton signed the law banning internet taxes. Congress has extended it three times, in 2001, 2004 and 2007.”
“Yet, unfortunately this session in the Senate has also seen politicians who want to extend sales taxes to the internet, who want to subject small businesses, mom and pops, businesses started by people just wanting to build a business, to crushing sales taxes from 9,600 jurisdictions nationwide.”
The bill passed the Republican controlled house on July 15th, and will now head to the Senate. It was sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, and has over 200 co-sponsors from both parties. Govtrack.us currently rates the prognosis for this bill being enacted below 50%.
The Act makes permanent a moratorium on taxing internet access, a moratorium originally implemented in 1998 but set to expire on November 1st. If Congress fails to act, states could tax internet access by years end, placing a discriminate burden on small businesses or internet-based businesses.
