House votes to make ban on Internet access taxes permanent

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to make permanent a moratorium that prevents states from taxing access to the Internet.

Under current law, the moratorium ends Oct. 1.

The House passed the bill Tuesday by a voice vote that did not require a recorded vote.

Lawmakers say allowing states to tax Internet access would expose users to the same kind of taxes and fees that often show up on telephone bills.

The moratorium was first enacted in 1998. State and local governments that already had Internet taxes were allowed to keep them under the current moratorium.

But under the bill passed Tuesday, those jurisdictions would no longer be able to collect the taxes.

The bill now goes to the Senate.