Cell Tax Ban Proposed Again
Mar 11, 2011, 8:57 AM by Eric M. Zeman
A handful of U.S. Senators and Representatives have proposed new legislation that would ban state and local governments from imposing any new taxes on wireless goods and services for a period of five years. Legislation similar to this has been proposed in the past. U.S. Senators Ron Wyden Olympia Snowe introduced the Wireless Tax Fairness Act to the Senate, while Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Trent Franks introduced similar legislation to the house. "The current landscape of excessive and discriminatory taxes on wireless services discourages its adoption and use, especially with lower income families." said Senator Snowe in a prepared statement. "As wireless communications become a necessity for families and businesses nationwide, it is imperative wireless consumers are protected from the burdens of exorbitant fees, surcharges, and general business taxes." The CTIA expressed its support of the legislation. CTIA president and CEO Steve Largent said, "In light of today's challenging economic conditions, it is hard to understand why the average wireless consumer is being charged more than 16% in taxes and fees when other taxable goods and services are only 7.4%. When you add the fact that policymakers are looking for ways to make affordable broadband accessible for all Americans, it's incomprehensible why 47 states and the District of Columbia charge their wireless consumers a rate that exceeds the general rates for other taxable goods and services."
more info at U.S. Senate »
more info at CTIA »
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