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Pro-consumer legislation affecting America's more than 265 million wireless consumers is currently being considered in the U.S. Senate after being introduced by Senator Wyden and Senator Snowe. As a consumer who relies on my wireless phone every day, I am asking you to please support and cosponsor S. 3249, the bipartisan Wyden-Snowe "Mobile Wireless Tax Fairness Act" today.
The average wireless consumer now pays approximately 15 % in wireless taxes and fees on their monthly bills. Amazingly, a number of states are even above the 20% mark. After going over my bill, I see that my wireless taxes are currently DOUBLE or TRIPLE the rate imposed on other goods and services, which is about 7% on average. In total, wireless consumers pay approximately $21 billion dollars annually in wireless taxes and fees to federal, state and local governments.
Senator, I now use my wireless device every day to stay connected to my family, to my office and to my friends. Please don't let even more complicated and costly layers of unfair, new state and local taxes, fees and surcharges be added to my monthly wireless service, making use of my cell phone unaffordable. At a rate of taxation that is already more than double, enough is enough! As my elected voice in Washington, I urge you to stand up for me and support this legislation that would provide a well-deserved 5-year hiatus from all NEW discriminatory wireless taxes and fees.
The "Mobile Wireless Tax Fairness" bill, S. 3249, places a 5-year freeze on current state and local taxes on wireless service, enabling Congress to address wireless tax fairness and to level the playing field for consumers, no matter where you live. Most important is the example set by the recent successful movement of the House companion bill, H.R. 5793, the bipartisan Lofgren-Cannon "Cell Tax Fairness Act of 2008" this legislation received a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing and currently stands at nearly 140 cosponsors. It is important to me that this legislation receives a proper Committee hearing before the 110th Congress adjourns, and a fair floor vote when Congress begins the 111th in 2009.
Thank you for your leadership and hard work on behalf of the tens of millions of American wireless consumers. I strongly urge you to support and cosponsor S. 3249, the bipartisan Wyden-Snowe bill. Supporting a measure that will allow me and my family to keep a little more of our hard-earned money in these uncertain economic times would be greatly appreciated.
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