States Fight Internet Tax Ban, Cite VoIP Concern

PetiePooo writes "From an article at PCWorld: The Multistate Tax Commission is fighting a bill which makes the moratorium on internet taxes permanent. Their complaint is that it could be interpreted to include VoIP telephony such as Packet8 and Vonage, and they would lose that lucrative tax base as people switch from incumbent providers. The House has already approved the bill. When will the politicians figure out that VoIP is a going to end up as a product, not a service? Voice will be just another form of data. Here's another related article."

Comments

I might be way off here but...

[Max Romantschuk]

When will the politicians figure out that VoIP is a going to end up as a product, not a service?

When will people in general figure out that data transfer is going to end up as a service, not a product?

Now then, bring on the bashing...

Note to the States

[droleary]

Not bilking your citizens of their money does not constitute a "cost" or "loss" on your part.

"Today is a historic day"

[Anonymous Coward]

"Today is a historic day," said Representative Chris Cannon (R-Utah), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. "This bill would broaden access to the Internet, expand consumer choice, promote certainty and growth in the IT sector of our economy, and encourage the deployment of broadband services at lower prices."

How many of your democrats thought you would be agreeing with a republican today?

Re:money as it is is the issue

[johnraphone]

with the interexchangable information who has done what, the money has lost it's meaning.

Okay but it still means something to me, please wire transfer your worthless money to:
Bank of America
Account number: 3948928289901

Only when...

[DavidpFitz]

VoIP will be taxed when the telephone companies figure out that politicians are both a service and a product...