Cell Phone Taxes...help please

April 12, 2004 | me

[Im4Starr]

I just got my latest AT&T cell phone bill today. Every month, when the statement arrives, I am continually annoyed/surprised by the taxes on my $29.99/month plan. All told, this month the grand total was over $40 bucks...if I did the math correctly, that's over 30% in taxes.

Yes, this month there was 1 single call for 411, but the taxes/surcharges/regulatory fees are above and beyond that standalone $1.25 charge.

[deport]

Can someone get rid of thier long distance carrier

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You should be able to do so..... They like to keep you tied to one but I suspect your regulatory agency allows for no long distance.... You will have to go to your base carrier to drop it even if you have some other company providing it presently. You can always use the 10-10-811 types, cell phones or as you say pre paid cards..... I've not used a long distance carrier for sometime now.

[hole_n_one]

Food for thought..

Thanks!

[annyokie]

Yup. We have one hardwired phone in the house and were the only folks in the neighborhood with phone service after a tornado (three days!) Cell phone towers were dead.

[Dec31,1999]

Sprint used to have an access # where you can call ANYWHERE in the US for 4 cents a minute. In NY, that is cheaper than most regional calls, especially during peak hours. Verizon charges 12 cents a minute for regional calls. (Regional calls on Long Island mean the next town).

The cheapest thing to do is to use only cell phones, but that's a lot of radiation going against your head if you talk on the phone a lot. There is no easy way out. They get you coming and going.

And then you have to decide what to do about your internet connection. You can't do that cheaply with a cell phone as far as I know.

At least if you live in the city, the whole of it is included as local, and you can use a sprint card for all other calls.

[Dec31,1999]

Sprint used to have an access # where you can call ANYWHERE in the US for 4 cents a minute. In NY, that is cheaper than most regional calls, especially during peak hours. Verizon charges 12 cents a minute for regional calls. (Regional calls on Long Island mean the next town).

The cheapest thing to do is to use only cell phones, but that's a lot of radiation going against your head if you talk on the phone a lot. There is no easy way out. They get you coming and going.

And then you have to decide what to do about your internet connection. You can't do that cheaply with a cell phone as far as I know.

At least if you live in the city, the whole of it is included as local, and you can use a sprint card for all other calls.

[jammer]

Algore hit us, but Algore's just one of many. The problem is voracious government, combined with politicians who have no shame in seeking votes. They will tax anything, anywhere, anytime. And it's not limited to Democrats, as we are witnessing in Virginia and other states, and in our feckless Republican Congress.

[jammer]

I agree with you entirely, but may we keep Ron Paul?

[Viking2002]

I agree with you entirely, but may we keep Ron Paul?

Oh, certainly. He's one of the few that doesn't need to wake up in bed with a bloody horse's head at his feet.

[VMI70]

bump for later

[annyokie]

but that's a lot of radiation going against your head if you talk on the phone a lot.

What? Been around those exploding gas pumps again?

[PAR35]

"surprised by the taxes "

Not all of the "taxes" are actually that on your phone bill. Some of them are fees added on to the bill by the phone company to pay their routine expenses, such as legal fees for regulatory hearings, real estate taxes, etc. These fees are then subject to real taxes.

[TheBattman]

But this isn't "Ma Bell", this is Big Brother Government greediness.

After all, Big Brother knows better how to spend YOUR money....

[Don W]

To: Dec31,1999

but that's a lot of radiation going against your head if you talk on the phone a lot.

What? Been around those exploding gas pumps again?

30 posted on 04/12/2004 7:56:41 PM PDT by annyokie

When cell phones were "bag" phones, they would emit a maximum of 3 watts.

Handheld cell phones put out a maximum of 0.6 of a watt. Just how much microwave cooking COULD happen at that extremely low power level?

Your circulatory system is carrying more heat to your head than a cell phone is able to emit, and that same circ. system is more than capable of dealing with any micro heating that MIGHT happen if those waves were even capable of penetrating one's thick skull.

The gas-station-cell-phone explosion thing has also been rather thoroughly debunked as well.

[kennyo]

They will tax anything, anywhere, anytime...

"If it moves,tax it.If it keeps moving,regulate it...If it stops moving,subsidize it."-RR on voracious governments

[templar]

Can you think of any reason (within reason) why that would not be a prudent act?

Using a cell phone for your phone number for some financial activities (such as opening a bank account or credit card application) can get you flagged as a potential fraudulent account. Might get you reported to Homeland Security as well. Found that out from my latest banker when I opened an account last year.

[annyokie]

The gas-station-cell-phone explosion thing has also been rather thoroughly debunked

Yup. I was being a smartass. One can light a cigartette at the pump as well and have no fear of combustion.

[hole_n_one]

More food.....

Thanks!

[quantim]

 They will tax anything, anywhere, anytime. And it's not limited to Democrats,

So as I am finishing up my taxes today, my tax agent is going through the checklist and asks if I need to declare state sales tax [MI] on any any uncollected internet purchases sales tax last year...

[Dec31,1999]

Whatever. I just think they could be a danger not yet discovered. So sue me. The future will tell. My prediction is that cell phones produce dangerous microwaves to the head area. Unless you provide clear studies that prove or give evidence to the opposite, I'll keep my doubts intact.

[jammer]

I'm doing mine today also. Isn't the MI tax (I have the form here somewhere), termed a "use tax", because, of course, Michigan has absolutely no right whatsoever to tax interstate sales? In fact, despite Amazon, etc., I thought the Bill of Rights specifically gave the right of regulation of Interstate Commerce to the Congress.

You might just answer "no". That's not a lie: you don't need to, IMO.

Disclaimer: I am not an accountant. And I pretty much despise Holiday Inns.