On Tuesday, the U.S. House passed the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act (PITFA) on a voice vote, sending the measure to the U.S. Senate, as the Florida delegation rallied behind it.
Introduced by U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the bill had 17 of the 27 members of the Florida delegation as co-sponsors: Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Ander Crenshaw, Ron DeSantis, Mario Diaz-Balart, David Jolly, John Mica, Jeff Miller, Rich Nugent, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Dennis Ross and Dan Webster, and Democrats U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, Gwen Graham, Alcee Hastings, Patrick Murphy, and Frederica Wilson.
The bill would reform the current ban, first set up in 1998, preventing states from taxing the Internet or “placing multiple or discriminatory taxes on e-commerce.” Goodlatte’s bill would make the ban permanent instead of setting up a new renewal period.
Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, teamed up with U.S. Reps. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Tom Marino, R-Pa., to issue a statement after the vote on Tuesday.
“We applaud the bipartisan passage of the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act today in the House,” the representatives said on Tuesday. “PITFA is a necessary measure to keep Internet access free of taxation. Internet access drives innovation and the success of our economy. It is a gateway to knowledge, opportunity, and the rest of the world. The American people deserve affordable access to the Internet and the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act will help prevent unreasonable cost increases that hurt consumers and slow job creation.”
Buchanan showcased his support for the proposal late on Tuesday.
“At a time when millions of hard-working Floridians are struggling to pay their bills, the last thing we need is a new tax that hinders access to a free and open Internet,” said Buchanan. “I will continue fighting to keep the Internet free of charge and censorship for all Americans.”
The measure also has the support of the National Taxpayers Union which insists “any nation seeking to remain technologically and economically competitive should not punish the very citizens who are reaching out into the digital realm, especially by levying charges that are unlikely to have anything to do with bettering Internet service.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
