Copyright 2000 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
Chicago
Sun-Times
February 14, 2000, MONDAY, Late
Sports Final Edition
SECTION: FINANCIAL; Pg. 62
LENGTH: 247 words
HEADLINE:
'Digital divide' riles Bill Daley
BYLINE: BY HOWARD
WOLINSKY
BODY:
William Daley isn't a Web surfer.
Still, the nation's first "e-commerce secretary" uses the Internet to follow
business news, read the daily Chicago papers online and send e-mail.
But
Daley, who is the first secretary of the U.S. Commerce Department in the digital
century, told the Sun-Times last week his concerns about equal Internet access
and fair taxation.
He said the "digital divide" between those who have
computers and those who don't must be overcome. "This has the potential to cause
social problems," he said.
Daley said there also are concerns about
taxation of e-commerce transactions. A moratorium on new Internet taxes is
scheduled to expire in April.
Daley said if e-commerce becomes a more
dominant force, local and state government could be harmed by a reduction in
sales tax on products purchased on the
Internet.
There also are worries that taxation will
stifle growth of the Net.
He said it is discriminatory for better-off
people who make purchases on the Net to avoid taxes, while others pay taxes on
purchases in stores. "There is a fairness question here," he said.
Daley
talked after speaking to students and faculty at John Marshall Law School, from
which he graduated 25 years ago. He said attacks on major Internet sites help
undermine public confidence in the privacy of the emerging medium.
"We
have a great concern about it and are trying to work with the private sector.
Protection of our infrastructure is critical," he said.
LOAD-DATE: February 17, 2000 
