Why Internet tax is unconstitutional

Not that it matters to anyone in Washington or any of the 50 state
capitals, but any proposal to tax the Internet is a direct affront to
the U.S. Constitution.

Article 1, Section 9, Clause 5 of the Constitution says simply: "No
tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state."

Now, I'm sure some clever wags will counter that the constitutional
clause does not apply to the states, only to the federal government.
These will no doubt be the same people who insist that dozens of other
constitutional clauses -- including many amendments -- do indeed apply
to the states.

These people rely on circular reasoning. It's all they've got. But
you can't have your cake and eat it, too. Or maybe you can in the United
States today, which no longer seems to live by any immutable standards
of law and logic.

But, it seems to me, it would take an amendment to the Constitution
before there can be a lawful tax on the Internet.

Keep in mind, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution also
clearly states that the federal government has a legitimate role in
regulating interstate commerce. The sales tax systems being considered
in many state capitals today would allow state governments to collect
taxes beyond their geographic boundaries via third-party collection
agents.

This would be a direct violation of the founding fathers' thinking.
If anyone cares anymore, it was the poor condition of American commerce
and trade rivalries among the states that led to the Constitutional
Convention.

The Internet tax plans are also reminiscent of the kind of taxation
without representation that led to the War of Independence.

Allowing states to tax corporations in other states -- businesses
without any physical presence within the taxing state and, thus, no
voice in the political process -- is just the sort of thing that led to
the Boston Tea Party.
Of course, we're a nation living under the tyranny of the 16th Amendment
-- never legally ratified, nor hardly debated. Yet, the income tax that
it initiated remains the engine that drives the federal government
today. Only radicals like me suggest it should be eliminated. Most of
the sheeple accept it as a permanent fact of life.

I guess a people who would accept the proposition that the federal
government has a right to confiscate a percentage of your income before
you ever even see it would accept anything -- including another tax in
total violation of the Constitution.

Nevertheless, I intend to make a stand on this one. If I'm a lonely
voice crying out in the cyber-wilderness, so be it. I've got to do what
my conscience dictates. I'm saying no to Internet taxation.

Yes, the Internal Revenue Service is a great evil. The income tax is
an abomination. I will fight to abolish it with my dying breath. But its
existence will never be successfully challenged while people are willing
to accept even more illegal tax schemes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The best way to begin an
anti-tax revolution in this country is to start by denying governments
any more -- by beating back the grab for more power and more of your
money. If we win this battle -- and I think we can and will -- all
government tax schemes, including the income tax, will be threatened.

Think about it. Even President Clinton, who believes if something
moves you tax it, cannot rationalize taxing the Internet today. Of
course, he doesn't cite the Constitution as I do. He simply looks at the
world pragmatically and realizes that the economy he inherited and that
has allowed him to survive political scandal after political scandal is
driven by the Internet. He doesn't want to kill the goose that continues
to lay golden eggs. That's just smart politics. And no one has ever
questioned his instincts as a politician.

Yet, if the Internet is thriving in part, at least, because of an
untaxed, unregulated environment, don't we have a great opportunity to
create more untaxed, unregulated environments?

The "Don't Tax the Net" campaign is a winner no matter how you look
at it -- constitutionally, pragmatically, morally.

I'm proud of WorldNetDaily's leading role in this campaign. And
there's still time for you to be a part of this historic effort.
Congress has not yet begun hearings on this matter. It is awaiting the
recommendations of a special commission, which has completed its work.

WorldNetDaily last week sent that commission a large overnight
package containing the names and addresses of some 25,000 people who
signed our petition. You can still sign up in time to make your voice
heard in the halls of Congress.

Join the revolution! Stand up for freedom! Support the Constitution!
Don't Tax the Net!