Ron Wyden: “predictions that the Internet Tax Freedom Act would topple Western Civilization have not come to pass. Since the…”

“predictions that the Internet Tax Freedom Act would topple Western Civilization have not come to pass. Since the moratorium on taxation of out-of-State, online sales was first enacted in October 1998, not a single community, county or state has come forward to prove it is being injured by its inability to impose discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. There is simply no evidence that States have lost revenue by technology-driven commerce. On the contrary, the technology sector itself has been pounded as hard as any sector by the economic downturn. Across the country States are facing tremendous budget pressures. My own State of Oregon is facing a nearly 20 percent budget shortfall, and Oregon has the highest unemployment rate in the Nation. The shift from black ink to red is the result of this Administration's failed economic policies, not the inability of States to impose discriminatory taxes on Internet sales. Adding new taxes on the backs of consumers is not the way to salvage weakened State and local economies. Sales taxes are among the most regressive revenue measures, and imposing new sales taxes at this time could actually make a bad economic situation worse. A number of States seem to be arguing that their economic future is tied to taxing technology entrepreneurs located thousands of miles away with no physical presence in their jurisdiction. I don't share this view.”