MyWireless.org® Applauds House Judiciary Subcommittee for 'Digital Goods & Services Tax Fairness Act' Hearing

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National non-profit wireless consumer advocacy coalition MyWireless.org today recognized the leadership of Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC-6), Vice-Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC-4) and Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN-9), after the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on recently- introduced H.R. 1860, the bipartisan "Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2011."  This important legislation now joins its Senate companion bill, S. 971, a bipartisan bill by the same name, which was also recently-introduced and referred for consideration by the Senate Finance Committee.  The original sponsors of these bills are Representatives Lamar Smith (R-TX-21) and Cohen, and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John Thune (R-SD), respectively.

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MyWireless.org believes wireless technology is making the purchase of digital goods and services – such as books, music, games, apps, tv shows or movies – easier than ever before, and also that taxing purchases made in this manner should be treated the same as other more traditional means.  When consumers purchase one of these media formats in a physical store, they pay state and local sales taxes.  But when the same digital goods are purchased via wireless device, laptop, or broadband Internet, the transaction is currently vulnerable to potentially multiple and discriminatory levels of state and local taxation.  The legislation would establish a sensible and fair "national framework," or "rules of the road" for how digital goods and services should be fairly taxed at the state and local levels.

Brian Johnston, MyWireless.org's director of advocacy said, "Today's subcommittee hearing was an important first step for Americans who are always on-the-go.  The e-commerce transaction that occurs when buying digital goods and services crosses numerous state boundaries, and consumers shouldn't be exposed to the taxing whims of each and every jurisdiction.  This proposed framework protects consumers from a confusing and messy patchwork of different state and local tax laws.  Consumers should be taxed just one time in a fair and reasonable manner when buying digital goods, and they deserve to know to which government entity they are paying those taxes."

MyWireless.org commends Reps Coble, Gowdy, Smith and Cohen, and also Sens Wyden and Thune, for taking common-sense action on behalf of hundreds of millions of hard-working American consumers, by seeking to provide a fair and responsible system of taxation for their digital purchases. MyWireless.org urges the 112th Congress to follow their leadership on this important issue and to co-sponsor and pass this fair legislation, H.R. 1860 and S. 971.

MyWireless.org®, a national nonpartisan non-profit consumer advocacy organization, has joined together in a diverse coalition of American wireless consumers, business interests and taxpayer advocacy groups to support legislation in Congress and in the states to ensure that regulatory policies are kept fair, and that wireless is kept affordable and accessible to all Americans. To learn more about MyWireless.org, please visit www.MyWireless.org .

SOURCE MyWireless.org