Century-old telephone tax may finally be repealed

Iria · Jul 1, 2005, 05:09 AM

For US residents—at least those who paid attention during history class—the Spanish-American War of 1898 conjures up images of Colonel Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders charging the enemy in Cuba. However, one unwelcome vestige of that brief, long-ago conflict still remains: a "luxury" tax on telephone lines that was enacted shortly after the onset of the war as a source of funding.

107 years after the conflict ended, the tax is still on the books. In January, a congressional committee proposed that it be extended to cover all data communications services, including DSL, dial-up, fiber optic, and cable. In addition, the government has also been looking at the existence of the luxury tax as a rationale for taxing VoIP calls. But if a group of Republican senators get their way, the tax will soon go the way of the USS Maine.

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Read More / Source: Ars Technica

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jul 1, 2005, 12:33 PM

it need to die it outdated ... speading it to other stuff is a bad idea... means we pay more

Jul 1, 2005, 05:09 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Century-old telephone tax may finally be repealed For US residents—at least those who paid attention during history class—the Spanish-American War of 1898 conjures up images of Colonel Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders charging the enemy in Cuba. However, one unwelcome vestige of that brief, long-ago conflict still remains: a "luxury" tax on telephone lines that was enacted shortly after the onset of the war as a source of funding. 107 years after the conflict ended, the tax is still on the books. In January, a congressional committee proposed that it be extended to cover all data communications services, including DSL, dial-up, fiber optic, and cable. In addition, the government has also been looking at the existence of the luxury tax as a rationale for taxing VoIP calls. But if a group of Republican senators get their way, the tax will soon go the way of the USS Maine. __________ Read More / Source: Ars Technica

Jul 1, 2005, 12:33 PM	#2
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	it need to die it outdated ... speading it to other stuff is a bad idea... means we pay more __________________