On the recordJune 9, 2015
I want to be very clear: I am here, as many Members are, to extend our hand of friendship for the protection of the Internet and the question of sales on the Internet. I hope we will be able to do that. I ask my colleagues to consider the failings of the present bill and to, in its present form, oppose it. To Members of the Texas Congressional Delegation: As some of you already know, this bill would make permanent the Internet Tax Freedom Act and, importantly for Texas, would repeal the existing grandfather clause that has been in place since the original passage of the Act in 1998 that has allowed Texas to impose sales and use taxes on Internet access services at the state and local level. The Texas legislature just finished its regular session on June 1, and while it decided to cut property and franchise taxes, it chose to maintain the sales and use tax imposed on these services and anticipates receiving that revenue during the next two year budget cycle. The estimated revenue loss to the state and local jurisdictions if the grandfather is not extended is as follows: State: $280 million City: 51 Transit: 18 County: 5 Special districts: 4 Total: $358 million (per year) Please feel free to get in touch with me if you need input from the Comptroller's office on this or any other state/ local tax bills that come before the House. Thanks, Nancy L. Prosser, Special Counsel to the Deputy Comptroller, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. ____ June 8, 2015.…
