HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 45

46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2004

INTRODUCED BY

Teresa A. Zanetti

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING CONGRESS TO APPROVE A PERMANENT BAN ON INTERNET ACCESS TAXES.

     WHEREAS, congress enacted in 1998 and extended in 2001 the Internet Tax Freedom Act in order to protect consumers who use the internet and encourage more individuals to access the internet; and

     WHEREAS, the legislation eliminated taxes on internet access, double-taxation of a product or service bought over the internet and discriminatory taxes that treated internet purchases differently from other types of sales; and

     WHEREAS, the moratorium on internet access led to the rapid growth of the internet, which in turn helped grow the economy; and

     WHEREAS, we live in an age of innovation, where the medium of the internet is sparking a sharp increase in entrepreneurship and opportunity, the likes of which have not been seen since the industrial revolution; and

     WHEREAS, enacting a tax on internet access will significantly damage the United States economy and decrease the standard of living for all Americans; and

     WHEREAS, on September 17, 2003, the United States house of representatives unanimously passed a permanent ban on all internet access taxes; however, when the bill came to the senate floor, pro-internet tax senators used parliamentary procedures to force supporters of the legislation into negotiations; and

     WHEREAS, opponents of a tax-free internet used the negotiations to stall and stop final passage of a permanent ban on internet access taxes in order to achieve their true desire to tax internet access;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that congress be requested to approve a clean, permanent and technologically neutral extension of the internet tax moratorium; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the members of the New Mexico's congressional delegation.

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