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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 16, 2009

Rail loses money

Regarding "How to sell a train to an uncertain public" (Our opinion, Sept. 11):

How do you sell a train to an uncertain public? Simple. Let a private company take it over so there would be no taxpayer dollars involved.

Problem is, no private company is going to want to own a high-speed train system they know is going to lose lots of money So why do taxpayers need to pay for something that will lose money?

JAMES WISNER

Tampa

Betrayed

A week or so ago, Sen. Bill Nelson was bragging about how he was going to look out for senior citizens in the proposed health care bill. But on Tuesday, he voted a bill out of the Senate Finance Committee with a total cost of $829 billion, of which $404 billion would be taken from Medicare ("Senate panel OKs overhaul of health care," front page, Oct. 14).

Nelson talked the talk, but he didn't walk the walk. He betrayed us!

And I'm willing to give very good odds that when the Senate and House bills are reconciled, money taken from Medicare will still be used to fund a large part of it and that Nelson will again betray us by voting for it.

DAVID BROWN

Sun City Center

Taxing online sales

Your editorial, "Getting online taxes in state hands" (Our opinion, Oct. 12) advocating for the collection of sales taxes on Internet purchases misses the mark.

The tax it mentions would force small online businesses across Florida - and the country - to comply with complex tax laws from every tax jurisdiction in every state. These measures would impose significant new costs and accounting burdens for small Internet retailers, which could force them out of business.

Do not lose sight of the changing face of retail in recent decades. Mega-retail giants have pushed many small businesses off Main Street. Many small retailers, individual entrepreneurs and family businesses found the Internet made survival possible. The Internet is a small-business success story.

I think most of your readers would agree that it does not make sense to increase taxes on small businesses in such a tough economy. Treating small retailers - some with just a handful of employees - the same as a mega-retailer with hundreds of accountants and tax professionals is a recipe for disaster.

Instead of measures that are sure to stunt growth, we should be thinking of ways to help small businesses grow and empower consumers.

TOD COHEN

Washington, D.C.

The writer is vice president and deputy general counsel for government relations, eBay Inc.

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