No Vote On Internet Tax Ban Yet

Bush Administration officials are urging lawmakers to make the ban on taxing access to the Internet permanent, however a vote on the matter was struck down Thursday.

Earlier in the week, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Commerce Secretary Carlos Guiterrez issued a joint statement saying that preventing taxation would "help sustain and environment for innovation" and would "strengthen the foundations of electronic commerce."

The current tax moratorium will expire on November 1, although the legislation that was to be discussed Thursday would have extended the ban until 2011. The first ban was put in place in 1998 and expired in 2003, although it was reinstated in 2004.

Without any reasoning, Commerce Committee chairman Sen. Dan Inouye (D-Hawaii) said no vote was happening. Some say continuing tensions between those who want to make the ban permanent and those who only support a temporary extension may be to blame.

Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), a supporter and author of the permanent ban, criticized Democrats for not moving forward with the legislation. "I just don't understand the continued delay in action. The clock continues to tick, placing Internet tax freedom in real jeopardy."

Inouye had no immediate comment on the bill or his decision to not hold a vote.