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Bill seeks to tax Internet porn Thursday, Jul 28, 2005 By Alison Vekshin Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- A bill introduced Wednesday in Congress would tax sexually explicit Internet Web sites to pay for programs aimed at protecting children who go online. Legislation proposed by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., would require for-profit adult Web sites to use advanced software to verify the age of users. The Federal Trade Commission would issue and enforce these regulations. It also would apply a 25 percent tax on "Internet pornography transactions," Lincoln said. The proceeds would go into a fund to support law enforcers and organizations that combat Internet and pornography-related crimes against children. "Parents no longer have complete control over what their children are exposed to and at what age," said Lincoln, the mother of 9-year-old twin boys. "The fact of the matter is there is simply no adequate system in place today to protect children from pornography and from sexual predators," Lincoln said. Lincoln announced her bill during a news conference at the Capitol with co-sponsors including Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., a former state attorney general. "As it turns out by all accounts only about 3 percent of adult Web sites require this type of verification," said Pryor, the father of two young children. "That means 97 percent of the adult Web site industry is not playing by what I think most Americans would agree to be the rules of decency that we would all expect in our communities around the country," Pryor said. Lincoln cited a report by Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, that found that children are first exposed to sexually explicit material today at an average age of 11. The report also found that children between 12 and 17 years old are the largest consumers of Internet pornography. Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., introduced companion legislation in the House. -- 30 -- |
