June 11, 2009
MyWireless.org® Applauds House Judiciary Committee for ‘Cell Tax Fairness Act’
WASHINGTON, D.C. - National wireless consumer advocacy coalition MyWireless.org today applauded the leadership of Chairman Steve Cohen (D-TN) after the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on H.R. 1521, the bipartisan Lofgren-Franks ‘Cell Tax Fairness Act of 2009.’ This important legislation now joins its Senate companion bill, S. 1192, the bipartisan Wyden-Snowe ‘Mobile Wireless Tax Fairness Act,’ which was re-introduced and referred for consideration by the Senate Finance Committee last week.
This pro-consumer House bill has broad support in the House as well as from House Judiciary Members, with almost 120 co-sponsors, and calls for a 5-year break from new discriminatory state and local wireless taxes and fees for more than 270 million American wireless consumers. On behalf of those millions of consumers, MyWireless.org thanks the wise and very timely leadership shown by the original sponsors of both these bills, for stepping up for consumers during these tough times by supporting a measure of much-needed pocketbook relief.
On average, the American wireless consumer now pays more than 15% on every monthly bill in combined government taxes, fees and surcharges. That’s more than double the average sales tax paid on other goods and services, and in many cases is more than tax rates paid on so-called ‘sin goods’ such as tobacco and alcohol. The annual national tax burden faced by these consumers is about $21 billion dollars.
Brian Johnston, Director of Communications and Federal Advocacy for MyWireless.org, said, “American consumers clearly want to prevent spiraling new discriminatory taxes on wireless. We want to thank the Chairman, the Committee, the hearing witnesses today, and every bill co-sponsor on both sides of the Congress for defending wireless users across this country from more new state and local wireless taxation. We look forward to working with Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and the full committee to soon move the bill for a vote on the House Floor, to also move the companion bill in the Senate, and ultimately see this important legislation become law,” said Johnston. “Simply put, in these increasingly uncertain economic times, American wireless users deserve a break from excessive taxes on communicating.”