Press Release
New Poll: 69% Favor ‘Elimination’ of Gross Receipts Tax on Wireless Services59% ‘More Likely to Vote’ for Candidate Supporting Repeal of Double Tax
Washington, D.C. - Sixty-nine percent of Pennsylvania residents favor “elimination” of the Gross Receipts Tax on wireless services finds a statewide poll by MyWireless.org, a new consumer advocacy organization.
Moreover, 59% of likely voters say they are “more likely to vote” for a candidate who supports a repeal of the double tax. The poll of 600 likely general election voters in Pennsylvania was conducted on June 29th and has a margin of error of
+/- 4.0 %.
“6 million Pennsylvanians are unfairly double-taxed on their cell phone service,” said Kimberly Kuo, Executive Director of MyWireless.org. “And these poll numbers show that Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly want the double tax on their wireless service repealed by Governor Ed Rendell and the legislature. This unfair and unnecessary tax is an issue that resonates deeply with the vast majority of Pennsylvanians who rely on the safety, security, mobility and freedom that wireless provides every day.”
MyWireless.org recently launched a statewide media effort to encourage Pennsylvania’s more than 6 million wireless consumers to actively support the repeal of the Gross Receipts Tax on wireless service. Through their dynamic, interactive Web site, MyWireless.org has generated over 40,000 emails to the Governor and state legislators, and has registered 20,000 members.
Pennsylvania wireless users already pay a 6% state sales tax on their wireless services, plus other federal and local taxes and fees. In December 2003, the Gross Receipts Tax added another 5% tax on the same wireless service.
State Senator Robert Wonderling and State Representative Mario Scavello have sponsored bills to repeal Pennsylvania’s Gross Receipts Tax on wireless service, and over 120 of their colleagues have joined in their effort.
“The state Gross Receipts Tax nearly doubles the tax rate on wireless service to nearly 20%,” added Kuo. “With this kind of excessive taxation, families on smaller budgets have to make hard choices about whether they can afford the personal freedom, safety and security that come with wireless technology.”
Cell phone users in Pennsylvania and nationwide are encouraged to visit www.MyWireless.org -- a dynamic, interactive Web site that allows wireless users to learn more about wireless issues in Pennsylvania and nationally, to voice their support or opposition to proposed wireless taxes and regulations by directly contacting policymakers, to read about the latest wireless developments, and to help promote the innovation, affordability, and accessibility of wireless services.