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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
2:28 PM EST
Kelly William Cobb

Wireless Taxes Shoot Up Again

This content is crossposted from DigitalLiberty.Net.  Follow ATR's newest project on facebook and twitter!

For the third year in a row, states and the federal government have raised discriminatory taxes on wireless phone and broadband service.  According to a comprehensive study in this month’s State Tax Notes, the average American pays a whopping 16.26% on their wireless phone and broadband bills, with Nebraska residents paying as much as 23.69%.

Much of the blame can be laid at the feet of the federal government, which has raised the federal Universal Service Fund Tax from 2.99% in 2006 to 5.05% today.  However, the problem also comes from state and local governments, which continue to raise telecom and 9-1-1 taxes, only to place the revenue into the general fund for unrelated spending.  By targeting telecom taxes instead of broad-based income or sales taxes, politicians can make their actions go relatively unnoticed, while continuing to raise taxes on virtually every citizen.

Today, the average state-local tax rate for wireless is 11.21% - a full 3.8% higher than the average state sales tax rate.  Even worse, all but three states tax wireless higher than they do the sale of general goods or services.  Even New Hampshire – which has no general sales tax – levies an 8.18% tax on cell phones and wireless broadband.

CLICK HERE to write your lawmakers telling them to freeze your wireless taxes.

Posted by Kelly William Cobb on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 2:28 PM EST
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