Re: "Time to Walk the Walk down the Gang Plank"

[Mac Norton <mnorton@cavern.uark.edu>]

On Thu, 17 Jul 1997, Tim May wrote:
> 
> Taxes are already essentially uncollectable, even in interstate
> transactions, so the moves by Summers and Magaziner are truly token
> gestures.


Uh, Tim, corporate and personal income taxes are still rather 
well collectible, and that my be the reason the federal gov't
doesn't worry too much about taxing the Net. State, and even
more so local, gov'ts do not have the same collectibility
advantage.  And the locals are often revenue-starved and 
constantly in search of new tax base, constantly.  Thus,
what's easy for the feds to say ("no new taxes" read my
lips?:)) is just a costless slam at the locals.  No real
impact on federal revenue, no sacrifice, no altruism, 
except at the expense of other potential, and hungry 
taxing authorities.  Magaziner didn't earn any points with
me by proclaiming a policy that doesn't cost his end of
the gov't much of anything.  

It's as if George III told the colonies not to tax tea.
MacN