Senate floor fight on Internet tax ban expected soon

Supporters of a long-term ban on state and local taxes of Internet access are confident they will have the votes in a soon-expected floor fight. A customs bill that includes the indefinite ban on Internet access taxes is expected to move soon, according to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD). And he predicted opponents will not have the votes to strip it out.

"I think you can expect that that there'll be some procedural attempts to strip that out, but I don't think the votes are going to be there," he said. "I think it is going to be a very hard vote for people to vote to say as a matter of policy and practice in this country that we're going to allow taxes to go into place — we're going to allow states to impose taxes on the Internet." Chairman Thune, one of the key sponsors of a long-term ban, said many outside groups have been whipping the vote, which he predicted would be "fairly close." "If the customs conference report moves, and I think it will move soon, I believe that the Internet tax moratorium will be included in it as it was reported from the House," he said.