Congress approves permanent Internet access tax ban

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed legislation placing a permanent ban on states' taxing Internet access, sending the measure to President Barack Obama for signing into law.

By a vote of 75-20, the Senate gave final approval to a bill toughening enforcement of U.S. duties on foreign goods, which contains the permanent extension of the "Internet Tax Freedom Act."

The measure also would ban some taxes on digital goods and services and will put an end to a series of temporary extensions on the tax prohibitions.

"Most Americans pay $0 in taxes to connect to the Internet. And thanks to a bill that passed today, you will never have to pay taxes just to get online, or pay more taxes for goods and services just because they’re bought online," Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said in a statement.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-internet-idUSKCN0VK27F

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World | Thu Feb 11, 2016 2:06pm EST
WASHINGTON

[ZM90]

1. Congress actually did something good for once! This is rather shocking!

Good news though all the same.

[tularetom]

2. What I want to know, is who are the 20 aholes who voted against this?

[Bryce Butler]

12. This is what I found...

Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Ayotte (R-NH), Yea
Baldwin (D-WI), Yea
Barrasso (R-WY), Yea
Bennet (D-CO), Yea
Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea
Blunt (R-MO), Yea
Booker (D-NJ), Yea
Boozman (R-AR), Yea
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Brown (D-OH), Nay
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Capito (R-WV), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Cassidy (R-LA), Yea
Coats (R-IN), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Coons (D-DE), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Yea
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
Cotton (R-AR), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Yea
Cruz (R-TX), Not Voting
Daines (R-MT), Yea
Donnelly (D-IN), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Ernst (R-IA), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Fischer (R-NE), Yea
Flake (R-AZ), Yea
Franken (D-MN), Nay
Gardner (R-CO), Yea
Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay
Graham (R-SC), Not Voting
Grassley (R-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Heinrich (D-NM), Nay
Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea
Heller (R-NV), Yea
Hirono (D-HI), Nay
Hoeven (R-ND), Yea
Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Johnson (R-WI), Yea
Kaine (D-VA), Yea
King (I-ME), Yea
Kirk (R-IL), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Lankford (R-OK), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Lee (R-UT), Yea
Manchin (D-WV), Yea
Markey (D-MA), Nay
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Menendez (D-NJ), Nay
Merkley (D-OR), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Moran (R-KS), Yea
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murphy (D-CT), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Paul (R-KY), Yea
Perdue (R-GA), Yea
Peters (D-MI), Yea
Portman (R-OH), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Nay
Reid (D-NV), Nay
Risch (R-ID), Yea
Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Rounds (R-SD), Nay
Rubio (R-FL), Not Voting
Sanders (I-VT), Not Voting
Sasse (R-NE), Yea
Schatz (D-HI), Nay
Schumer (D-NY), Nay
Scott (R-SC), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Yea
Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Sullivan (R-AK), Not Voting
Tester (D-MT), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Yea
Tillis (R-NC), Yea
Toomey (R-PA), Yea
Udall (D-NM), Nay
Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Warner (D-VA), Yea
Warren (D-MA), Nay
Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay
Wicker (R-MS), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Yea

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=2&vote=00022

[Vincardog]

3. So if you order your groceries on line you don't have to pay sales taxes?

[Wilms]

5. Your web hookup is how I read it.

But not any sales tax you might incur buying things.

[Kelvin Mace]

7. No, you don't have to pay taxes on the connection to the net

This makes absolute sense, since you pay taxes on your phone/cable/satellite bill already, so why should you pay a tax on top of that for access to the Internet?

[christx30]

13. Internet access and digital items.

I'm guessing like an iTunes song or something.

[valerief]

4. I hope this doesn't mean Wall St. high-speed trading can't be taxed. nt

[airplaneman]

10. I'm with you.

I would rather pay a tax on internet access if it means better access for everyone (maybe even nationwide FREE WIFI that the FCC talked about recently. And I most certainly want a tax on wall street trading at 0.1% per trade generates 3 trillion a year - use that money to help pay mortgages and student loans in stress.
This anti tax movement in this county is dangerous.
-Airplane

[houston16revival]

6. Permanent Tax bans are stupid

just like Bush's permanent tax cuts.


Who can say when such taxes might be viewed favorably?

Revenue raisers in time of war?

Needed internet upgrades?

How can they say it's permanent? No law is permanent. This is BS.

[Bernin]

8. An act of congress

could always undo the permanent part.

If it was favorable at the time.

[houston16revival]

9. Exactly

Or they let it stand and decide not to enforce it, or
enact another tax and call it a 'monthly usage fee'.

We are just asked to swallow this nonsense they spew out

They really must regard the public as pretty dumb

[Bernin]

11. They definitely are not there working for you and I.

[dmr]

14. I wish the article explained why so many Dems voted against it.

Senators Warren & Franken voted no & I wonder why. I'll have to research this later when I have more time.

I hold great trust in them both, so there must be some poison in the bill. Although Wyden is for it.