Reps. Rick Boucher, D-Va., and Lamar Smith, R-Texas, introduced the Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act on Wednesday evening (June 30). The legislation calls for the creation of a national framework to protect consumers from multiple and discriminatory state and local taxation of goods and services they download from the Internet. The following statement on the Boucher-Smith bill should be attributed to Peter Davidson, Verizon senior vice president of federal government relations:

“The Boucher-Smith bill offers a smart solution to a growing Internet-age problem. Consumers face potential multiple and discriminatory taxation of the music, movies, games and other goods and services they download from the Internet. Discouraging Internet use makes no sense, particularly at a time when jobs and the economy are top concerns. This legislation takes into account that the new digital economy has no borders, and it creates a uniform framework to protect consumers, much like the Internet Tax Moratorium has done for Internet access. Verizon remains committed to working with stakeholders to craft solutions to the complex problems in this area, and this bill balances Internet consumers’ interests with states’ and localities’ interests in a fair and predictable tax framework. On behalf of our customers and employees, Verizon thanks Representatives Boucher and Smith for their leadership on this important consumer matter.”