Since 1998, Congress has prevented local and state governing bodies from imposing and collecting taxes on internet access. Therefore, as the Consumerist puts it, “there never has been a tax on email or bandwidth use, for most of us, because Congress made it illegal to charge one more than 15 years ago. That law, though, was temporary and for the better part of two decades, has constantly needed to be extended or renewed. This year, Congress appears to have real plans to make it permanent, once and for all.”
According to the Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), “internet access taxes impose additional barriers to broadband adoption and use, which ultimately impacts the nation’s ability to connect every citizen….This congressional action will prevent the imposition of innumerable taxes that would have impacted access to the Internet and its many benefits, including access to jobs, education, healthcare, and civic engagement.”
As both the U.S. House and Senate consider legislation that would permanently ban internet access taxes, groups supporting people of color are highlighting the importance of such legislation to their constituencies. The National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women) has said that “the imposition of new taxes on Internet access will hurt consumers and fails to support continued access and adoption of broadband technology among the nation’s most vulnerable and low-income communities.” Likewise, The Latino Coalition “encourages the swift passage of the spending bill before the House and Senate that includes language to make the Internet Tax Freedom Act a permanent fixture. A tax-free internet is essential for economic growth, development and innovation. Any measure designed to protect consumers from unnecessary and harmful fees that impede access to the internet should be quickly adopted,” said Allen Gutierrez, National Executive Director of the Latino Coalition.
The House is expected to vote on H.R. 644 today, and the Senate will likely follow suit early next week.
Source: http://politic365.com/2015/12/11/congress-approaching-permanent-ban-on-internet-access-tax/