[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Final report on Internet tax commission meeting
- To: debate@fitug.de
- Subject: [FYI] (Fwd) FC: Final report on Internet tax commission meeting
- From: "Axel H Horns" <horns@t-online.de>
- Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 10:16:47 +0200
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
- Organization: PA Axel H Horns
- Reply-to: horns@t-online.de
- Sender: owner-debate@fitug.de
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 19:11:09 -0500
To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject: FC: Final report on Internet tax commission meeting
Send reply to: declan@well.com
*********
[I am back in DC after a much-too-brief trip to SF to cover this
meeting. Hmm. Why am I living on the east coast again? --DBM]
*********
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,33119,00.html
Choosing Names a Taxing Battle
by Declan McCullagh
7:45 a.m. 16.Dec.1999 PST
SAN FRANCISCO -- What's in a name? Or
rather, what's in e-name?
For groups hoping to win the votes of a
Congressional advisory commission, the
answer seems to be -- confusion.
Proving that a catchy title is the _sine qua non_
of modern-day campaigning, pro-Internet tax and
anti-tax groups picked e-fairness and e-freedom
as cute but vague names for their coalitions.
But which is which? Besides, who can be
against fairness? And what Samuel
Adams-swilling American would ever
criticize freedom?
It turns out that e-freedom is the
conservative-libertarian axis. They're not
fans of taxes on Internet or mail-order
purchases. And they think that the
e-fairness folks are poaching on their
turf.
"The term e-fairness isn't accurate. It's
not about fairness," complains Sonia
Arrison of the Pacific Research Institute,
which is part of the e-freedom coalition.
Arrison said that her side had their name
first, and -- when pressed -- the
e-fairness folks 'fessed up. Their
coalition, a spokeswoman admitted, is
just over a month old.
[...]
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,33109,00.html
Internet Tax? Maybe, Maybe Not
by Declan McCullagh
7:45 a.m. 16.Dec.1999 PST
SAN FRANCISCO -- Take a peck of
politicians, add a cayenne-hot topic like
Internet taxes, season with presidential
politicking, and agitate.
The result? A meeting that falls flatter
than a building on landfill during a
California earthquake.
Instead of voting on any of the topics
surrounding Internet and
telecommunications taxation,
controversy-shy members of a
Congressional advisory panel decided to
dodge the issue.
The 19-member commission on
Wednesday postponed all decisions until
its next and final meeting in Dallas, Texas
in March 2000.
[...]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology
To subscribe: send a message to majordomo@vorlon.mit.edu with this
text: subscribe politech More information is at
http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----
------- End of forwarded message -------