Today, conservatives from inside and outside Congress spoke at a press conference in opposition to the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act. Those in attendance included Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and John Fleming (R-La.), and a host of conservative leaders including Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham.
After the press conference, Sen. Cruz fielded a question and discussed a Heritage Action study on the age demographics of who voted for the Internet sales tax and who voted against it.
Needham explained that there is an average ten year age difference between those who vote for the Internet tax and those who voted against it. Indeed, every single Republican in the Senate under the age of 50 voted against the internet sales tax. He said:
There’s no doubt that the internet economy is the future, and [younger members of Congress who opposed the bill] are standing up for free enterprise and for small businesses who are trying to be the productive force that the Senator talked about earlier.
Cruz reiterated Needham’s points:
Let me repeat that point. Every single Republican under the age of 50 voted against this bill in the U.S. Senate, and I think it has a great deal to do with being part of the internet age. There is a lot of discussion about social media… and you look at the younger elected officials, who this isn’t, you know I remember a former elected official who referred to the internet as the ‘internets.’ You know, there is a breakdown of those who appreciate the incredible freedom, the entrepreneurial oasis that the internet represents and I think we need to give a special solicitude – we should not be messing with the internet. The idea that a bunch of politicians, Democrats and Republicans, would jump in bed with a bunch of corporate lobbyists in Washington and all get together to put new taxes new burdens on the internet and shut down small businesses I think is absolutely crazy.
He added:
The only way to stop it is for small business owners and for consumers and everyone who cares about Internet freedom, anyone who cares about economic growth to speak out, to go online, to tweet #NoNetTax, and to email and call your members in the House and tell them ‘do not tax the Internet.’
Well, what are you waiting for? Tweet now!