Ohio Reps. John Boehner and John Kasich on Wednesday proposed just such a ban, saying the Internet should remain free of taxation and regulation. But Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin worries such a ban could hurt the county's sales tax collections, which not only fund the stadium projects but also provide the county's biggest source of revenue for its general fund. At the national level, organizations representing counties, cities and governors fear a ban like the one the two Republican congressmen propose could cut into revenues that pay for basic services.
Experts disagree over whether such a ban is even a good idea.
Bob Wientzen, president and CEO of the Direct Marketing Association, argues it is. His group agrees with Mr. Boehner that the government should leave the Internet alone and allow it to thrive. But Paul Brazina, executive director of the Electronic Commerce Institute at La Salle University in Philadelphia, argues that a ban on taxation would be bad for e-commerce businesses. If the whole electronic commerce industry is built on a foundation of lower prices because of the tax ban, he said, the industry could collapse if taxes were introduced later. And that's what local stadium critic Tim Mara is worried about.