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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Jan 24th 2006 2:22am





GAO Says Internet Tax Ban Says Something Different Than Authors Wrote

from the writing-laws-ain't-easy dept

We all know that writing clear laws that take into account every possible contingency is a nearly impossible task. However, it's still interesting to watch people try to twist an existing law to support a position that it pretty clear does not support. Two US Senators have come out arguing against a new report from the Government Accountability Office that claims the internet access tax ban they wrote actually allows states to tax wholesale internet access. The Senators point out that if anyone had actually called the authors of the law, they would point out that's not what the law intended at all, and could back it up with language in the statute and its legislative history. Still, if the GAO is coming out with a report saying that states can tax broadband resellers, you can bet it's because there are plenty of state and local governments who have been drooling at the possibility, and who may try to move forward with such taxes.

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  1.  
    identicon
    Dan, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 5:05am

    and so begins...

    the end of the internet..as we know it.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 5:11am

    Re: and so begins...

    I thought that began when some ISPs started talking about charging more to access other networks.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 6:21am

    Re: and so begins...

    wherever money flows, politicians and other slime molds follow; they're just waiting for the golden egg laying goose to get big enough to slaughter

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 6:43am

    No Subject Given

    Yes - tax the internet and I'm outta here - It's expensive enough with ISP fee's...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Oliver Wendell Jones, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 7:28am

    Wholesale Internet Access?

    Heck, I've been buying it in small quantities at local retailers... could I have been going CostCo or Sam's Club this whole time and buying larger quantities at a lower price?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    Mike, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 8:12am

    Re: No Subject Given

    This isn't that bad. I wouldn't mind the stat taxing my internet connection as long as they don't go hog wild. Not to mention that they are only talking about wholesale broadband so it wouldn't affect us very much except in small ammounts. At the most, it could raise our bill by a few coins.

     

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  7.  
    identicon
    Howard, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 8:49am

    Re: No Subject Given

    At the most, it could raise our bill by a few coins.

    Oh, sure... I can clearly remember when the Texas State Legislature promised that the state sales tax would never go above 2%. Later, when they raised it to 3%, they again promised that was as high as it would ever go. Today, it's 8.125% in my city (with the allowed city add-on), and they are now working on a school funding 'reform' which will almost certainly increase that percentage.
    --
    Violins and Accessories

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    identicon
    Andrew Strasser, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 9:10am

    Well of course it's right our legistlators told us

    If they really think they can pull wool over our eyes with idiocy like this. They obviously forgot two things. 1) the idiots decided to say that the media was not a political party(hehe my favoite screw-up on their part). 2) We're watching and reporting every move you make.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    Colby, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 11:51am

    Re: Haha!

    Interesting words without merit. I live 4 miles outside of a city with a population of 80,000+. My internet access is provided through Sprint. I pay $112.56/mo. $23.56 is for taxes! This is outrageous. I don't have a clue what you guys are talking about. Taxes are here. It is happening on a smaller level already.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    icon
    Mike (profile), Jan 24th, 2006 @ 12:32pm

    Re: Haha!

    Taxes are here.

    Where do you live? The laws banning taxes on internet access are exempted in a few states that already had them on the books before the moratorium went into effect. You are most likely in one of those states.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    identicon
    Tak, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 2:14pm

    The Boston LAN Party

    If they tax our internet, I will not pause for a second before gathering up every broken computer I can find and throwing it in the Boston Harbor. All in agreement?
    ...I still haven't figured out what, exactly, this will do to the government...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    identicon
    Garfiode, Jan 24th, 2006 @ 5:18pm

    Re: The Boston LAN Party

    You have it wrong. You need to gather up the governments working computer and then throw those into the harbor.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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