ITIF Welcomes Global Connect Initiative, Urges Elimination of ICT Taxes and Tariffs as Essential to Global Internet Access

WASHINGTON—Robert D. Atkinson, founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), released the following statement on the State Department’s announcement of the new Global Connect initiative:

The State Department is right that the Internet is an “essential element of every country’s infrastructure,” and we commend the launch of the new Global Connect initiative to bring 1.5 billion more people online by 2020. Access to the Internet and use of information and communications technology (ICT) is fundamental for growth in emerging economies. Increasing a nation’s productivity is critical for improving living standards, and in today’s innovation economy, ICT tools like the Internet are the path.

When it comes to government policy, the single most important thing a nation can do to spur Internet access and adoption is eliminate taxes and tariffs on ICT goods and services. As ITIF wrote in its ranking of 125 nations on the level of government-imposed ICT taxes and tariffs, when you add extra costs to ICT products for consumers or businesses, you discourage their use. If we want widespread Internet access, nations need to be lowering barriers, not implementing self-defeating taxes and tariffs. As part of the State Department’s effort to establish policy environments that support broader Internet access, we hope breaking down these barriers will be a top priority.