Peters Cosponsors Legislation to Protect Internet Access

Legislation Would Permanently Extend Ban on Taxing Internet Access

WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced that he is cosponsoring the bipartisan Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act, which would permanently extend the moratorium preventing state and local governments from imposing new taxes on Internet access.

“Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the engines of job creation and economic growth in Michigan, and access to the Internet is vital as they work to sell their goods, market their services and grow their companies,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation will help remove barriers for startups and small businesses so that they can reach new markets and consumers and compete globally, while continuing to ensure consumers have access to the Internet and the critical resources it provides.”

The Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act would make permanent the moratorium on new taxes on Internet access. According to the Pew Research Center and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, cost can be a significant barrier to Internet access for consumers and small businesses, and permanently extending the moratorium will provide greater certainty of continued access for consumers, innovators and investors.

The first Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 imposed a three-year moratorium on new taxes to Internet access multiple or discriminatory taxes on e-commerce. The moratorium has been extended five times, most recently in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015, which extended the moratorium through October 1, 2015.

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