Chris Sununu: “The Congress--the Federal Government--tells the States what they can or can't do on taxes all the time; not in every…”

“The Congress--the Federal Government--tells the States what they can or can't do on taxes all the time; not in every area, to be sure, and we shouldn't in every area. And if this permanent ban on Internet taxes passes, Internet-related businesses will still pay property taxes, payroll taxes, and business income taxes, but the network itself, access to the global network itself, will not be subject to taxes. This is not that dissimilar from the fact that we prevent States from levying their own export taxes because it affects international trade and global commerce, and even interstate commerce. We don't allow States to arbitrarily tax flights from their State to other States or across the country for the same reason--because we view that as interstate commerce and an interstate transportation system. We even have restrictions on States' ability to impose tolls on interstate highways, all for the same reason. So to suggest that we should never tell States how to handle matters of taxation is incorrect. We do it all the time. And we should do it on matters of interstate commerce, which is the responsibility--the constitutional responsibility--of the Congress.”