Seven-year Internet tax ban heads to President
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The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a seven-year extension to an Internet tax ban, the final step before the legislation heads to President George Bush to be signed into law.The House on Tuesday approved the Senate version of the Internet tax moratorium, which would ban Internet-only taxes such as access taxes for seven years. The current ban has been in effect since 1998, except for a lapse during most of 2004.Many supporters of the moratorium had&#160;called for a permanent ban, but some lawmakers and state and local government groups had&#160;raised concerns&#160;that a permanent ban would hurt state and local governments&#39; ability to raise money. Opponents of a permanent ban also questioned if telecom carriers would try to expand the ban to services such as VoIP.Bush is expected to sign the legislation. He has supported an Internet tax ban, and he signed the last extension, passed by Congress in late 2004.The ban on Internet taxes expires Thursday. Lawmakers in favor of extending the ban say it&#39;s important to promote the adoption of broadband, which, in turn, creates jobs and improves the U.S. economy.Earlier this month,&#160;the House passed a four-year extension. After the Senate passed the seven-year ban last Thursday, the House on Tuesday voted 402-0 for the seven-year ban.The tax moratorium does not ban sales taxes online. It applies only to taxes that would be unique to the Internet, including taxes on Internet access.Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, praised the House for passing the seven-year ban, which he cosponsored. The Senate version of the bill, awkwardly named the Internet Tax Freedom Act Amendments Act, specifically exempts e-mail and instant messaging from taxes after some groups raised concerns that the House version of the bill could allow taxes on those services.&quot;It&#39;s great to see Congress act on time for a change and take an enormous step for Internet tax freedom -- banning access taxes and protecting e-mails and instant messaging for the next seven years,&quot; Sununu said in a statement. &quot;I will continue to fight for a permanent ban on access taxes, but this is a strong step forward. Taxing the Internet is wrong for consumers and wrong for the economy.&quot;The United States Telecom Association, a trade group, and Verizon Communications both praised Congress for passing the extension.&quot;Broadband access is now a crucial driver of America&#39;s economy, and this moratorium extension will ensure continued investment and growth in the broadband marketplace,&quot; Peter Davidson, Verizon&#39;s senior vice president of federal government relations, said in a statement. &quot;This is good for consumers and businesses across the country.&quot;
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President Bush signed a bill that  renews a ban on Internet access taxes on Friday amid praise  from lawmakers and trade groups who said the measure would  encourage more people to sign up for high-speed broadband  service.
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Congress is now poised to hand  President Bush an election-year tax cut victory after Senate  and House of Representatives negotiators on Wednesday night  agreed to extend popular tax breaks for children and couples  for five years.
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The House approved a bill yesterday to bar states from taxing Internet access through 2014, clearing the way for President Bush to sign the measure into law before the current ban expires tomorrow.
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Democrats have had since January to schedule a vote on a bill that would protect Internet users from access taxes. They still haven't done so, and a temporary moratorium expires in just a few weeks.
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Three Republican U.S. senators on Thursday called on Congress to pass a permanent Internet tax ban before a moratorium expires Nov. 1.
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The U.S. House of Representatives approved a seven-year extension of the existing moratorium on Internet-only taxes that was first proposed by the Senate last week.
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The Senate has approved legislation  extending a moratorium on state Internet access taxes for seven  years.
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WASHINGTON, Nov 19  - The House of Representatives on Friday approved a ban on taxing Internet access and online sales, which US President George W. Bush is expected to sign, a sponsor of the bill said.
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The U.S. Senate approved a bill extending the moratorium on Internet access taxes for seven years. But the measure needs to be reconciled with a four-year ban proposed by the House.
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Lawmakers may vote on Internet tax ban, controversial copyright bills before the end of the year.
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The US Senate approved modifications to the Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act Friday, clearing the way for House passage of the bill that would prevent taxing online purchases.
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Congress passed a measure putting a three-year ban on taxation of the monthly fees that Internet providers charge their customers.
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Congress is poised to extend a ban on taxing Internet access, a move that would please Internet service providers but possibly cost states millions of dollars in lost revenue. -washingtonpost.com
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One of the net's founding fathers rejects calls for strict regulation of what people put online.
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In 2004, YouTube didn&#39;t exist. Three  years later, politicians have learned to fear and revere the  video-sharing Web site that has become a vital part of the  campaign for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
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The House of Representatives  approved legislation on Tuesday extending a moratorium on state  Internet access taxes for seven years, sending the bill to the  president to sign into law.