Growls

There may be no Internet tax today, but governments at all levels have their greedy little paws outstretched attempting to get a share of the revenue from an Internet tax. This study from the Institute for Policy Innovation outlines the threats posed by state/local governments, the federal government, and international bodies, including the United Nations. The IPI notes that as the Internet “matures into a routine component of our daily lives, its independence from both taxation and regulation is rapidly eroding. Absent a more sweeping federal intervention to secure the Internet’s freedom, it will be an increasingly rich target for revenues and regulatory interference froim all directions. Moratorium or not, the Internet already is viewed as a potentially lush revenue source at the state, local, and even international level.” As National Taxpayers Union blogger Kristina Rasmussen notes at Government Bytes, “Don’t say we didn’t warn you about UN-levied Internet Taxes.” Hat tip to Government Bytes.