[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 52 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 52

  Expressing the sense of Congress in opposition to a ``bit tax'' on 
 Internet data proposed in the Human Development Report 1999 published 
              by the United Nations Development Programme.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 1999

 Mr. Ashcroft submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress in opposition to a ``bit tax'' on 
 Internet data proposed in the Human Development Report 1999 published 
              by the United Nations Development Programme.

Whereas the Internet has become a highly valued tool for millions of people in 
        the United States and promises to be an integral component of 
        international commerce communications;
Whereas the Internet has spurred entirely new industries dominated by the United 
        States and has become critical to the continued growth of our economy;
Whereas emerging telecommunications technologies promise to extend the benefits 
        of the Internet to a growing percentage of the world population;
Whereas the Internet should remain tax-free;
Whereas any global tax collected by the United Nations would present a threat to 
        the sovereignty of the United States and would violate the United States 
        Constitution;
Whereas Americans are by far the greatest users of the Internet and would thus 
        be disproportionately affected by any global Internet tax;
Whereas the most effective and just way to spread technology and wealth is 
        through the operation of a free market;
Whereas the rapidly increasing sophistication and decreasing cost of 
        telecommunications and computing products and services should not be 
        disturbed; and
Whereas the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report 1999 
        proposed that a so-called ``bit tax'' be levied on all data sent through 
        the Internet: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress urges the Administration to protect the sovereignty of 
the United States by aggressively opposing the global ``bit tax'' 
proposed in the Human Development Report 1999 published by the United 
Nations Development Programme.
                                 <all>