Cheney calls for permanent Internet tax ban April 19, 2001
Web posted at: 9:19 AM EDT (1319 GMT) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney said Wednesday the United States should make permanent current policies that ban Internet access taxes and encourage businesses to fund research and development. Speaking before high-tech business leaders in suburban Virginia, Cheney said Bush administration policies would help the recovery of an industry facing uncertain economic prospects. "When you've had some experience in the private sector and come from a business background, you realize that the government doesn't create prosperity. All it can do is help create conditions favorable to prosperity," he said. Cheney headed energy firm Haliburton Co. before being picked as President Bush's running mate. Cheney called on Congress to make permanent a current ban on Internet access taxes and extend a moratorium on Internet sales taxes. Both tax bans are set to expire in October. He also said a temporary tax credit encouraging businesses to invest in research should be made permanent. Uncertainty over the fate of the tax credit, which is due to expire in 2004, has led some businesses to refrain from research and development spending, he said. "We believe it's time to end the uncertainty once and for all, and to make the R&D tax credit permanent," he said. Both proposals enjoy widespread support in Congress. The administration intends to boost government research and development spending by 6 percent, he said. Cheney did not comment on digital privacy, copyright laws, or other high-tech issues currently being debated on Capitol Hill. Instead, he focused much of his remarks on broader Bush administration policies such as the proposed $1.6 trillion income tax cut and new standards for public schools. Cheney also called for increased domestic oil and gas exploration and new investments in energy pipelines and power plants. The country needs between 65 and 90 new power plants each year for the next 20 years, he said, and some of those should be nuclear plants to limit greenhouse gas emissions. More details of the administration's energy policy will be unveiled later this spring, he said. "We won't offer a quick fix because there is none," he said. "In fact, narrow, short-term thinking is what got the country into an energy crisis in the first place." Cheney said the new policy would provide environmental protections and encourage energy-saving technologies. "New technology is proving that we can save energy without sacrificing our standard of living. And we're going to encourage it in every possible way," he said.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001