Congress Likely To Give Final OK To Local Internet Tax Ban

The Senate voted Thursday to approve the measure as part of a wide-ranging bill that would also revamp trade laws. Obama is expected to sign it.

Paving the way for passage of the Internet tax ban was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s agreement to consider a version of Internet sales tax legislation in this session of Congress. The Senator said that it is important for Americans to be able to access Internet without worry of being taxed, Associated Press reports.

In an email, Venhuizen said Daugaard wholeheartedly disagrees.

“The federal government shouldn’t be telling the states what their tax structure should be”, he said.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard opposed the bill because of the lost revenue, spokesman Tony Venhuizen said.

Others, like Republican senator Lamar Alexander, inferred the legislative measure was restrictive to USA citizens. “The U.S. Senate passed the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act with a strong bipartisan vote”.

Meanwhile, consumer advocates say no one should have to pay a tax for the Internet.

Thune also said he “fought hard” to build in the 4-year delay in ending the tax, which would allow states charging the tax to adjust.

Back when the bill was first passed, at least seven states already taxed internet access and were grandfathered into the program.

Many Americans will soon no longer pay local or state taxes to access the internet. PIFTAS would sunset those taxes by 2020, which Durbin has said would then cost his state $390 million in taxes.

Forty-nine Republican and 26 Democratic senators backed the legislation Thursday while 17 Democrats and three Republicans voted “no”.

The House approved the trade bill in December, with the backing of almost all Republicans but just 24 Democrats.

The customs bill beefs up copyright enforcement by giving the Customs and Border Protection office the same authority as the Copyright Office to stop imports of goods that infringe on US copyright protections.

It includes a provision that would reinforce the government’s ability to head off China and other countries from manipulating their currencies to make their exports more affordable.

While some Democrats supported the invoice, others complained that its commerce protections have been inadequate and stated negotiators who wrote the House-Senate compromise weakened it considerably, together with the foreign money manipulation language.