MEDIA CONTACT:

Debbie Neville O'Keeffe & Company, Inc. (703) 883-9000, x104 dneville@okeeffeco.com

Mark Miner Press Secretary Office of the Governor of Virginia (804) 692-3110 mminer@gov.state.va.us

August 12, 1999-Fairfax, VA-The Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce today issued a formal invitation to the public to participate in the Internet taxation debate. The Commission is asking interested parties to submit written comments with respect to the Commission's mission.

"The Commission wants to ensure that all positions are represented and considered in the discussions," said Governor James S. Gilmore III, chairman of the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce. "On such an important issue, it is imperative that the Commission is aware of the broad range of concerns."

Submissions should follow the following guidelines:

• All written comments and accompanying exhibits must be typed, double-spaced.
• Send one version of written comments electronically to:
  comments@ecommercecommission.org. Send thirty (30) hard copies of all written comments to the address below.
• Comments must contain name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available), and the capacity of the person submitting comments, as well as the names of any clients, persons, or organizations for which the comments are submitted.
• For those comments exceeding two pages in length, an executive summary, not to exceed two pages in length, must accompany the submission.

Interested parties should send submissions to:

Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce
3401 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201-4498

The Commission was established by Public Law 105-277 to conduct a thorough study of federal, state, local, and international taxation and tariff treatment of transactions using the Internet and Internet access and other comparable intrastate, interstate, or international sales activities.

The Commission may study the following issues:

• Barriers imposed in foreign markets on U.S. property, goods, services, or information engaged in E-commerce and on United States providers of telecommunications services
• How the imposition of such barriers affects U.S. consumers, the competitiveness of U.S. businesses in foreign markets and growth of the Internet
• The collection and administration of consumption taxes on E-commerce in the U.S. and abroad, the impact this has on the global economy and the relationship between the collection and administration of such taxes when using the Internet or not using the Internet
• The impact of the Internet access (particularly voice transmission) on the revenue base for taxes imposed under section 4251 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
• Model state legislation that:
  • Provides uniform definitions of categories or property, goods, service, or information subject to or exempt from sales and use taxes
  • Ensures that Internet access services, online services, and communications and transactions using the Internet, Internet access service, or online services are treated in a tax and technology neutral manner relative to other forms of remote sales
• The effects of taxation (or absence of) on all interstate sales transactions, including those using the Internet, on retail businesses and on state and local governments. This examination may include a review of purchases from out-of-state sellers, and
• The ways to simplify federal, state, and local taxes imposed on the provision of telecommunications services

The deadline for receipt of documents to be available at the Commission's September 14-15 meeting is September 1, 1999. All other comments should be submitted no later than November 15, 1999. For further information, please contact the Commission at (703) 993-8049.

About the Commission
Appointed by Congress in October 1998 as part of the Internet Tax Freedom Act, the 19-member Commission has been tasked with studying the impact of federal, state, local, and international taxation and tariffs on transactions using the Internet and Internet access. The Commission's recommendations are due in to Congress no later than April 21, 2000.