|
|
Deb Fischer on Technology |
Fischer pointed to her bill to use $21.4 billion from the $46 billion in fees Customs and Border Patrol collects over five years from freight and passengers entering the country. The border agency only uses about $2 billion. The rest reverts to the general fund. "I don't think increasing the gas tax is sustainable," Fischer said.
Raybould said she would seek to roll back some of the tax breaks oil and drug companies received in the Republican tax cut bill. Revoking breaks for 17 oil and gas companies alone could generate $25 billion, she said. The tax law's corporate and individual income tax breaks for companies and people not paying their fair share should be repealed, she said.
Fischer cited congressional efforts to aid companies willing to serve rural areas, and to help smaller companies buy wireless spectrum from larger wireless companies to sell Internet access. She cited her recent efforts during farm bill negotiations to make sure that broadband development qualified for matching grants under rural development guidelines. She continues to push for money from Universal Service Funds, financed by fees collected from cellphone users, to be spent at the state level to boost broadband deployment in rural and other underserved areas.
Raybould called for more direct federal investment. She said expansion of rural broadband should be treated the way the country once boosted rural electrification--as a public utility.
Opponent's Argument for voting No (Cnet.com): Online retailers are objecting to S.743, saying it's unreasonable to expect small businesses to comply with the detailed--and sometimes conflicting--regulations of nearly 10,000 government tax collectors. S.743 caps years of lobbying by the National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which represent big box stores. President Obama also supports the bill.
Proponent's Argument for voting Yes: Sen. COLLINS. This bill rectifies a fundamental unfairness in our current system. Right now, Main Street businesses have to collect sales taxes on every transaction, but outbecause -of-state Internet sellers don't have to charge this tax, they enjoy a price advantage over the mom-and-pop businesses. This bill would allow States to collect sales taxes on Internet sales, thereby leveling the playing field with Main Street businesses. This bill does not authorize any new or higher tax, nor does it impose an Internet tax. It simply helps ensure that taxes already owed are paid.
Opponent's Argument for voting No: Sen. WYDEN: This bill takes a function that is now vested in government--State tax collection--and outsources that function to small online retailers. The proponents say it is not going to be hard for small businesses to handle this--via a lot of new computer software and the like. It is, in fact, not so simple. There are more than 5,000 taxing jurisdictions in our country. Some of them give very different treatment for products and services that are almost identical.