Greg Ganske: “I rise in opposition reluctantly to the amendment by my good friend from Ohio in favor of the amendment of the gentleman…”

“I rise in opposition reluctantly to the amendment by my good friend from Ohio in favor of the amendment of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) and also, when it comes up, the amendment offered by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook). Madam Chairman, the Internet taxation issue is the number one issue for small town business men and women in my district. They see this lengthy moratorium on e-commerce taxes as unfair. They are paying taxes and losing business to competitors who do not pay those taxes. This tax policy gives on-line retailers a competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar retailers. It is a myth that e-commerce needs preferential tax treatment because it is a new industry. The Internet has reached 50 million people in 4 years. Look at some of the earlier breakthroughs. Radio needed 38 years to reach the same number of users; television 13 years. So the Internet's development has been nothing short of phenomenal. With that robust growth, requiring on-line retailers to collect sales taxes will not harm their growth. This is really a question of somebody else getting hurt. I agree with Governor Leavitt of Utah when he said, ``You know, we all hate taxes. But if we have to pay them, then at least they ought to be fair.'' At the White House and in Congress we hear a lot about fair trading practices. Let us talk about fair trade at home. Let us deal with the issue promptly and not pass on it.”