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October 16, 2000
For
immediate release
Contact: Chad Cowan at (202)785-0266 or
ccowan@atr.org
Congress to
Taxpayers: End in Sight for
Spanish-American War
Congress has called on President to end outdated,
regressive telecommunications tax
WASHINGTON- On Friday
October 13, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in
calling on the President to end the federal excise tax on
telecommunications.
This year marks the third century that Americans have been
paying this tax, which was implemented to fund the Spanish-American
war.
Grover Norquist, president of
Americans for Tax Reform, issued the following statement urging
President Clinton to end the federal excise tax on
telecommunications:
“Friday’s victory in the
Senate was a major milestone in our efforts to put an end to this
outdated and regressive tax, but the fight is not yet over. Unfortunately, the
Clinton-Gore Administration has been reluctant to implement any tax
cuts and once again, it looks as though the Clinton-Gore
Administration will continue to stick it to the hardworking
taxpayers of America because of the Administration’s partisan
politics.”
“I worked with Governor James
Gilmore (R-VA) and other pro-taxpayer allies on the Advisory
Commission on Electronic Commerce (ACEC) to shine the spotlight on
this tax which was implemented more than 100 years ago as a ‘luxury
tax’ to fund the Spanish-American War.
“In the 1800s, the
telephone was considered a luxury. But the telephone has gone
from a luxury to a necessity and this tax has become one of the most
regressive burdens saddled on the poor. Unfortunately, the
representatives of the Clinton-Gore Administration who served with
me on the ACEC fought the pro-taxpayer forces every step of the way
as we sought to bring an end to this regressive tax and provide tax
relief for millions of lower income families.
“The effort to end this
regressive tax has received broad, bipartisan support in both the
House and the Senate, and ATR urges President Clinton to bridge the
partisan divide by joining Congress in an effort to break down the
digital divide."
ATR
is a coalition of individuals, taxpayer groups and businesses
concerned with tax policy, spending reduction, and restoring
accountability to elected officials. For more information please
visit our website at www.atr.org or contact Chad Cowan at (202)
785-0266 or ccowan@atr.org.
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