The Future of Internet Taxation

Just announcing my latest article out in U.S.News & World Report, on a topic that hasn’t gotten a lot of mainstream in-depth media coverage: Internet taxation. I have the usual reporter’s complaints: they cut it down a lot and don’t offer much in the way of visuals — but it is a topic that needs to be watched as corporations and politicians decide the future of a huge and growing part of our lives (without much public or media input).

Unstoppable fees very likely to spread across the Web

By Candice Novak

The Internet used to be a haven from taxes and fees. Legislators didn’t want to stunt the growth of E-commerce, plus collecting taxes or other levies was technologically tricky way back in the 1990s. But better E-commerce technology and the boom in online sales have made the Internet a tempting target for the government taxman and companies trying to grab more user dollars. Then again, what’s wrong with a little taxation? Shouldn’t our governments receive a sliver of what we spend on the Web just as they do every time we buy at brick-and-mortar shops? But prominent libertarian David Friedman says that users hit by higher taxes will vote with their feet and switch states or even countries: “Unless [governments] are willing to put up a Berlin Wall, or the equivalent, if their tax rates are high or their regulations are oppressive, or something their citizens don’t like—lo and behold, they’ll find someplace else.”

Here are three aspects of Internet taxation and fee collection, and how they might affect you in the near future: Read the whole story at USNews