Congresswoman goes on offensive over fear of e-mail tax

Knoxnews.com ^ | October 31, 2003 | By RICHARD POWELSON

[paulklenk]

This is a fake story and should be pulled.

[paulklenk]

From Snopes.com:

The claim that the Senate is considering a "tax on every item on the Internet, to include a tax on each e-mail sent out" is incorrect. The Senate is merely considering whether or not to extend the moratorium on Internet taxes created by the earlier Internet Tax Freedom Act and Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act; the Senate is not proposing any specific Internet-related taxes at this time. (If the Senate passes S. 150, as they are expected to do, then no such Internet taxes could be imposed at all.)

[GirlyGirl2003]

Fake huh? How could that be? Check the link.

[GirlyGirl2003]

I forgot to mention that this is the result of the ban on internet taxation expiring last week. Now, anything goes without Congress reinstating that ban.

[GirlyGirl2003]

Read the article. It is not talking about the Senate, or House taxing email. It mentions that the thousands of taxing districts in the US could.

[FourPeas]

local areas could tax an e-mail each time it passed from one computer server to another

Riiiiight.

[GirlyGirl2003]

"We can chuckle about (an e-mail tax) now, but we won't be laughing if America's thousands of taxing jurisdictions actually start taxing e-mail," Blackburn said. "And that is exactly what could happen if we do not extend this moratorium by Friday night."

[paulklenk]

The writer got it wrong, is what I meant. I just called him and left a voicemail.

A lot of people have fallen for the idea that e-mails will be taxed. There are absolutely no plans to tax e-mails. The only thing happening is that the moratorium on other Internet taxes is expiring.

It's not your fault. The writer should have done his homework. He got it wrong, very wrong.

To all of you who have e-mailed this story to countless friends, please send them another e-mail telling them it is incorrect.

[paulklenk]

I realize you are quoting from the article, but as I said before, the writer of the article got it wrong. No one but an idiot would believe we're going to tax e-mails.

[GirlyGirl2003]

The writer is not talking about federal taxation, but every little town/taxing district looking for new blood. Sure it could happen.

[FourPeas]

Sure it could happen.

How? Technically, how could it be done? How would it be monitored/regulated?

[Rebelbase]

Here is another take on her email panic: From gomemphis.com

FRESHMAN REP. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) crossed the line from ordinary hyperbole to outright demagoguery last week when she blast-faxed a column warning that Congress was about to allow 7,500 state and local jurisdictions to start taxing E-mail.

Nonsense.

The Senate did fail to extend the existing federal moratorium on Internet access taxes before it expired at midnight Friday, but when the Senate takes up the bill this week it will include a provision making the moratorium retroactive.

More important, a sales tax on the monthly charge people pay to access the Internet is no more a tax on E-mail than the federal excise tax on telephone bills is a tax on every telephone call.

Here's what Blackburn didn't say:

Corporate Internet, cable and telecommunication companies are trying to broaden the bill to exempt themselves from paying billions of dollars in taxes to the states.

Tennessee Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Frist are trying to narrow the reach of the moratorium.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled that Tennessee has no authority under state law to tax Internet access, a decision that is being appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Blackburn's misrepresentation is disappointing because she has been a conscientious lawmaker who appears to have worked hard to learn new issues and her craft as a federal legislator.

[paulklenk]

You really can't be that stupid. Please explain to me how they will do that?

I'm waiting.

[GirlyGirl2003]

HAHA, I think now that the ban on internet taxation has been allowed to expire, we are about to see just what will happen unless Congress acts to replace the ban. And, I think at this point, no one knows what could happen, or how bad things could get.

[paulklenk]

Okay, honey, go back outside and play in the yard.

[GirlyGirl2003]

Thats an interesting article, but does it address what Blackburn said regarding "taxing districts"? Let's hope the Congress will pass a new ban on internet taxation right away so that none of this could come true.

[HoundsTooth_BP]

(Tennessee's state commissioner of revenue, Loren Chumley, said she does not understand why some in Congress are trying to give large telecommunications companies a tax break, cut state revenues and say it is "something good for consumers.")

Because it is good for consumers, we are taxed to death. These telecommunications companies pass all tax on to us.

I dread each time to open my telephone bills, there is always some additional tax or fee. I am sick of it.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

This is a fake story and should be pulled

No this is NOT the fake crap that went around for years. The Senate let a 5 year moratorium on taxes expire on Saturday.

Get your facts straight, reading would be a good start.

[GirlyGirl2003]

How could it be done? Taxing districts could place a new tax on internet providers.