Thomas Daschle: “I concur with the Majority Leader. When Congress debated the Internet Tax Freedom Act, considerable attention was paid…”

“I concur with the Majority Leader. When Congress debated the Internet Tax Freedom Act, considerable attention was paid to the section of the bill that delineated the membership of the Advisory Commission. The legislation is very clear in specifying a balanced makeup of this panel. While some adjustments have already been made in an effort to achieve that goal, further discussion of the make up of the Commission and the requirements of the statute is clearly required. As the Majority Leader knows, state and local governments have a lot at stake with respect to the deliberations of this Commission, and the Internet Tax Freedom Act anticipates their full participation on the panel. If we hope to reach consensus on a uniform taxation system that allows electronic commerce to flourish without eroding state and local tax bases, a balanced, representative Commission is in all parties' self-interest.”