They may not know it, but Wisconsin is poised to become the first state to tax downloads on the Internet. The download tax, referred to by some as the iPod tax, hidden away in Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s proposed budget, would tax the downloading of books, movies, artwork and songs (hence the nickname “iPod tax”).

“It’s a matter of equity” said Wisconsin Revenue Secretary Mike Morgan.

But Republican representative Scott Jensen said of the Democratic Doyle’s download tax plan, “Unlike Gov. Doyle, I want to encourage electronic commerce. As the budget process moves forward, I will be working to push the ‘delete’ button on Gov. Doyle’s iPod tax.”

Heh. iPod tax. It is indeed a nice sound bite.

Public hearings on the Governor’s proposed budget, including the tax on downloading, are set to begin on…

[Download Tax? Wisconsin Poised To Tax Internet Downloads, continued]