Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act. I am pleased to be joined by my colleague from South Dakota, Senator Thune, in introducing this needed legislation. The creation and consumption of downloadable digital goods, like books, songs, ringtones and video games, and the provision of digital services, like health care monitoring and cloud computing, represent a rapidly growing segment of our national economy. These goods and services, which are supporting a growing number of American jobs, are sold over communications networks that transcend numerous state and local boundaries. Tax law, not surprisingly, has failed to keep pace with the rapidly changing technology and economy. The lack of a national framework addressing how State and local taxes can be imposed upon these products has led to a confusing process that will only grow more burdensome for consumers and the providers of digital commerce as new, innovative and emerging technologies become available. Since digital goods and services can be downloaded in a mobile environment, there is a significant question as to which jurisdiction has the authority to tax such purchases. In fact, there is substantial risk that, without a national framework, multiple States and localities will claim they have authority to tax the same digital transaction.…”