Byron Dorgan: “today I'm joined by Senators Enzi, Graham, Voinovich, Breaux, and a number of our colleagues in re-introducing the…”

“today I'm joined by Senators Enzi, Graham, Voinovich, Breaux, and a number of our colleagues in re-introducing the Internet Tax Moratorium and Equity Act. This legislation is nearly identical to legislation we sponsored in the last Congress. We believe that it is absolutely imperative that Congress move quickly this year to consider this legislation and the difficult tax issues relating to Internet sales that it seeks to address. First, most everyone who is familiar with this issue knows that the current expiration date for the moratorium on Internet access and discriminatory taxes is fast approaching. We believe the moratorium should be extended. Also, this legislation moves toward a solution to the growing web of tax compliance problems that faces virtually everyone who would do business across State lines, sellers and customers alike. Despite some setbacks, Internet technology and commerce will continue to be a real growth engine for our economy. The past holiday season, retail sales over the Internet jumped 76 percent from the same period a year earlier. A recent University of Texas study estimated that $830 billion in revenues were generated by the Internet economy in 2000, up 58 percent from 1999 levels. Together, this information suggests that Internet sales are not going to be either temporary or insignificant, and neither are the compliance problems.”