Congressman Mica, how do you feel about the role of the Internet?     

     I believe that we should do everything possible to nurture the growth of the Internet and avoid steps taken to tax and slow its growth.  I have supported legislation urging the United States to seek a global consensus supporting a moratorium on tariffs and on special, multiple, and discriminatory taxation of electronic commerce.  It is critical that Congress recognize the growing importance and role the Internet plays in our society. As your Representative, I am very aware that many residents of the Seventh District rely on the Internet to conduct business and research, and to communicate to a broad spectrum of agencies, companies and people.

Are the rumors regarding Internet taxation (602P) true?

      The 602P bill is an Internet hoax that has been circulating for several years. The message originated in Canada and states that Canada Post hopes to earn $23 million (CDN) annually through the tax. The message claimed that Canada Post and the federal government were conspiring to quietly push the bill through procedures and into law.  The US version of the rumor claims that the US government wants to recoup on $230 million and charge $0.05 per email.  

     Likewise the US version of the hoax reads that Republican Congressman Tony Schnell (There is no Member of Congress by that name!) is looking into the idea of charging an extra $20 to $40 per month as an ISP tax.  Further, there is no Washington DC lawyer named Richard Stepp.

     Additional evidence that this is a hoax is that bill numbers for the House and Senate begin with either "H.R." or "S." and not in a suffix letter as in 602P.  The US Postal Service made an announcement which states, "The US Postal Service has no authority to surcharge e-mail messages sent over the Internet, nor would it support such legislation."  For additional information about hoaxes on the Internet you can visit http://urbanlegends.miningco.com and click on the Current Net Hoaxes link.