This time the guys with the brown shirts are the victims!

(San Francisco, Calif.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), America’s largest taxpayer watchdog group, condemned remarks by Gov. William Janklow (R-S.D.) at today's meeting of the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce (ACEC).  During a panel discussion about state taxes, Gov. Janklow threatened to use the State Police to pull over UPS trucks – just so he can collect the state sales tax.

“Gov. Janklow wants to use Gestapo-like tactics to enforce the state sales tax,” noted CAGW President Thomas A. Schatz.  “This time, the guys with the brown shirts are going to be the victims.”

Janklow made his comments during a panel discussion entitled “Streamlined Sales Tax System for the 21^st Century.”  He threatened to disrupt interstate commerce, pull over UPS delivery trucks, and inspect packages originating from other states – all to collect the state sales tax.  When asked by an incredulous participant if he was joking, Gov. Janklow refused to comment.  A CAGW staff membe present at the conference witnessed Janklow’s remarks.

Several members of the National Governor’s Association – including Janklow – wanted to use the ACEC conference as a springboard to tax commerce on the Internet.  CAGW strongly opposes any attempt to tax e-commerce, citing it as “the vanguard of America's current economic growth.”

“The explosion of the Internet has been truly phenomenal,” Schatz stated.  “But left in the hands of elected officials such as Janklow, government will unwittingly kill the goose that is laying these golden eggs.  Americans don't want a bureaucrat on every cybercorner.”

CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.