
Chairman
The Honorable James S. Gilmore,
III Governor Commonwealth of Virginia
Members
Mr. Dean F. Andal Chairman California Board of
Equalization
Mr. C. Michael Armstrong Chairman and
CEO, AT&T
Mr. Joseph H. Guttentag Senior Advisor to the Assistant
Secretary for Tax Policy U.S. Department of the
Treasury
The Honorable Paul C. Harris Sr. Delegate Virginia House
of Delegates
The Honorable Delna Jones Commissioner Washington
County, Oregon
The Honorable Ron Kirk Mayor City of Dallas
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt Governor State of
Utah
Mr. Gene N. Lebrun President (1997-1999) National
Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
The Honorable Gary Locke Governor State of
Washington
Mr. Grover Norquist President Americans for Tax
Reform
Mr. Robert Novick General Counsel U.S. Trade
Representative
Mr. Richard Parsons President Time Warner, Inc.
Mr. Andrew Pincus General Counsel U.S. Department of
Commerce
Mr. Robert Pittman President & Chief Operating
Officer America Online
Mr. David Pottruck President & co-Chief Executive
Officer Charles Schwab and Company
Mr. John W. Sidgmore Vice Chairman MCI WorldCom and
Chairman UUNET
Mr. Stanley Sokul Independent Consultant Association
for Interactive Media
Mr. Theodore Waitt Chairman Gateway,
Inc. |
Press Contact: Mark A. Miner Stephen W.T.
O'Keeffe Press Secretary, Office of the Governor of
Virginia O'Keeffe & Company, Inc. (804)
692-3110 (703) 883-9000 ext. 111 mminer@gov.state.va.us sokeeffe@okeeffeco.com |
For Immediate
Release June 22, 1999 |
Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce Lays
Foundation for Balanced Debate in
Williamsburg
-Packed Meeting Witnesses Inclusive Debate as Members
Review All Sides of Internet Tax Issue-
Williamsburg, VA- Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore,
chairman of the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, a
19-member Congressional advisory panel charged with examining
the effects of taxes, tariffs, and bureaucracy on the future
of electronic commerce, today announced the success of the
Commission's first meeting. Pointing to discussions that
presented the full spectrum of views and issues associated
with electronic commerce, Gilmore declared the meeting a
critical foundation for building consensus.
"The Commission's 18-month charter has just 10 months left
to deliver its recommendations to Congress," said Governor
Gilmore. "We have much work to do, especially considering the
breadth of the issues that must be weighed. We consider these
Williamsburg meetings successful. We have organized and
established an open, fair discussion process to support our
mission. As chairman, I commit that every member's point of
view will be heard, valued, and considered. This process is
vital to developing a consensus. Only with a consensus will
Congress value our recommendations."
"In view of the fact that Oregon has no state sales tax,
some may question our interest in the debate," said Delna
Jones, county commissioner, Washington County, Hillsboro,
Oregon. "This position allows us to review the broad tax
policy question without selfish consideration. The Commission
provides the right framework for this debate. I look forward
to being a participant in the process."
"Gateway believes the Commission has an opportunity to
provide to Congress recommendations that will make our tax
system simpler and fairer for consumers and businesses,"
Theodore Waitt, chairman and chief executive officer, Gateway,
Inc. "We support the growth of electronic commerce, and
believe it should not be subject to discriminatory taxes. On
sales taxes, we believe there should be a level playing field
where all businesses and consumers play by the same
rules."
Day two of the Williamsburg meeting featured comments from
each of the 17 assembled Commission members. In addition,
three members of the Commission delivered more in-depth
presentations:
- "Vision of the Internet" - John Sidgmore, vice chairman,
MCI WorldCom and chairman, UUNET
- "Implications of Electronic Commerce for U.S. Domestic
Economy and U.S. International Competitiveness" - Andrew
Pincus, general counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce
- "Implications of Electronic Commerce for Global Economy,
International Tax and Tariff Issues" - Joseph Guttentag,
senior advisor for Tax Policy, U.S. Department of Treasury
This meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the first of
four scheduled events. The next meeting of the Advisory
Commission on Electronic Commerce will be held in New York
City, New York. Future meetings will take place in Silicon
Valley, California, and Austin, Texas.
About the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce
Created by Congress in October 1998 as part of the Internet
Tax Freedom Act, the 19-member Commission, has been charged
with studying the impact of federal, state, local, and
international taxation and tariffs on transactions using the
Internet and Internet access. Central to the examination of
these issues is the fact that the Internet knows no
geographical boundaries, and, by its very nature, violates
those geographical boundaries that hinder other forms of
commerce. The commission is also expected to analyze the
implications for personal privacy implicit in the taxation of
Internet purchases. Recommendations are due in to Congress no
later than April 21, 2000.
Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce members:
Gov. Jim Gilmore, Governor of Virginia, Richmond, VA -
Chairman Dean Andal, Chairman, Vice Chairman, California
Board of Equalization, Stockton, CA C. Michael Armstrong,
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer, AT&T,
New York, NY Joseph Guttentag, Senior Advisor Office of Tax
Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasure, (Official Designee
for U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Robert E. Rubin)
Washington, DC Paul C. Harris Sr., Member, Virginia House
of Delegates, Charlottesville, VA Delna Jones, County
Commissioner, Washington County, Hillsboro, OR Mayor Ron
Kirk, Mayor of Dallas, Dallas, TX Gene Lebrun, President
(1997-1999), National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform
State Laws, Rapid City, SD Gov. Michael Leavitt, Governor
of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Gov. Locke, Governor of
Washington, Olympia, WA Grover Norquist, President,
Americans for Tax Reform, Washington, DC Robert Novick,
General Counsel, U.S. Trade Representative, (Official Designee
for U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky)
Washington, DC Richard Parsons, President, Time Warner, New
York, NY Andrew Pincus, General Counsel, U.S. Department of
Commerce, (Official Designee for U.S. Secretary of Commerce
William M. Daley) Washington, DC Robert Pittman, President
& Chief Operating Officer, America Online, Dulles,
VA David Pottruck, President & Co-Chief Executive
Officer, Charles Schwab Corporation, San Francisco, CA John
Sidgmore, Vice Chairman, MCI WorldCom, Chairman, UUNET,
Fairfax, VA Stan Sokul, Independent Consultant, Association
for Interactive Media, Washington, DC Theodore Waitt,
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Gateway, Inc., North
Sioux City, SD
###
www.ecommercecommission.org 3401 North Fairfax
Drive Telephone: (703) 993-8049 · Facsimile: (703)
993-8250 |