Taxing Your E-Mail

Wall Street Journal ^ | October 29, 2003 | staff

[WaterDragon]

One of the more enduring Internet hoaxes is the chain letter claiming that the government has an e-mail tax in the works. Well, if Congress doesn't extend the Internet tax moratorium before it expires at the end of this week, the e-mail tax could soon cease to be an urban legend.

[WaterDragon]

Get letters to your representatives in Congress soon!

[Orangedog]

I will not insult George Voinabitch again tonight.
I will not insult George Voinabitch again tonight.
I will not insult George Voinabitch again tonight.
I will not insult George Voinabitch again tonight.
I will not insult George Voinabitch again tonight.
I will not insult George Voinabitch again tonight.

[WaterDragon]

ping

[Agitate2]

ping

[BlessedBeGod]

FYI:

Taxing Your E-mail [TAXING FREEREPUBLIC!]

Taxing your E-Mail

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Under pressure from the National Governors Association and others who see a digital cash cow in cyberspace, George Voinovich of Ohio and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee have bucked their President and party leaders by joining Democrats Maria Cantwell of Washington and Kent Conrad of North Dakota in holding up the bill. If these renegades are successful and the ban lapses, watch for the tax man to pounce.

[WaterDragon]

I appreciate being informed this article was already posted. My bad. I'll ask the moderator to remove this post. No need to take up bandwidth unnecessarily!

[CyberAnt]

I thought they just extended that ..?? When is it due to expire ..??

[Hank Rearden]

See, if the Republicans had majorities in the House and Senate, plus the White House, this kind of crap would never happen.

They promised.

[Fledermaus]

FINALLY! An article about this subject with acutal FACTS.

I've already read so many articles about "taxing the Internet" that confuse the taxation of the Internet services and access with collecting Sales Taxes for purchaes.

The Internet moratorium has NOTHING TO DO WITH SALES AND USE TAXES! Anyone that says it does is a moron and liar.

Sales and use taxes are made by the states. Here in Tennessee, if you have a physical presence in the state, you have to charge the sales tax to anyone you deliver to in the state including online purchases. So if I buy from Wal-Mart, Sears, or Dell, I have to pay the sales tax. But I don't have to pay sales tax if I buy from Amazon.com. Actually, I have a large Barnes and Nobles near me and I'd rather pay the sales tax than the higher shipping cost.

Most states also have use taxes (ridiculous and almost unenforceble taxes) that require you to pay the sales tax on purchases from out of state. But if the state you bought it from charged you a sales tax, you just pay the differnce. Again, almost impossible to enforce. But businesses are easier to audit. I was the account manager of a hotel renovation in Nashville and I had to pay the use tax (tens of thousands of dollars) on the products we bought from out of state. Of course, that depended on the state. Some charged us their tax rate that I could get a credit for against our tax rate...I think. It was very complicated.

And because of this experience, I fear a national sales tax over an income tax. The income tax can be simplified. You don't want the US Congress messing with the sales tax codes. They'd make the current IRS codes dwarfed in comparison.

[WaterDragon]

CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION ON THAT MORATORIUM, CyberAnt. We are in big, big danger!

[WaterDragon]

Check post 11...time's running out fast.

[WaterDragon]

Check post 11....the Republicans need to hear from us tomorrow at the latest or it's too late.

[Hank Rearden]

So you're saying the Republicans, holding the majority in both houses of Congress, need to be reminded that more taxation is a very bad idea?

Why the hell would anybody vote for such a sleazy party?

[Paul C. Jesup]

Personally I want to know WHICH LOBBIESTS are supporting this piece of BS so we know who to hang first when the shooting starts.

[WaterDragon]

Well, Hank....because politicians of all stripes have to be reminded, once they get to Washington, that they'd better represent us according to OUE best interests (not the 'special' interests) or we'll see to it they don't have to deal with these hard choice ever again.