Cell Phone Users Could Get $9 Billion in Tax Refunds!!!

[im10ashus]

Dec. 13) - Phone customers are due $9 billion in tax refunds and a 3% cut in wireless phone and long-distance bills, according to a series of federal court decisions. But the federal government continues to collect the tax and requires so much paperwork for refunds that only big corporations are likely to benefit.

On Friday, a court in Washington, D.C., became the third federal appeals court since May to void the tax. Two other federal appeals courts, covering seven states, have ruled the tax unlawful, and cases are pending elsewhere in the nation's 13 appeals courts. In all, nine federal courts have ruled that a 3% federal tax doesn't apply to phone calls that are priced only by how long a person talks — not by how far the call travels.

That means cellular phones, Internet phone service and about one-third of long distance calls would be exempt from the tax. The wireless industry estimates that consumers would save about $4.5 billion a year. Taxpayers also would be due three years of refunds — about $9 billion.

The cellphone industry wants the tax removed immediately from bills and the money refunded. "Our customers shouldn't be paying a tax that courts have repeatedly found illegal," says Steve Largent, president of CTIA-The Wireless Association and a former Republican congressman.

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http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20051213061709990007

[Jed Dilligan]

1. What is that

a whole three bucks for each of us?

[im10ashus]

2. It would be about $50 per person.

Not to mention it would take about 7 hours to fill out the paperwork. They don't make it easy for the average consumer. Big corporations would most benefit from this refund. No surprise there.

[Jed Dilligan]

3. Anyone who can do 7 hrs. worth of paperwork

gets paid more than 50 bucks for 7 hours work...

[Benhurst]

4. So the government will end up having to get the money elsewhere,

the big corporations will get what already has been collected, and the average citizen will get nothing back and have to make up the taxes already paid. Yep, that sounds like BushAmerica all right.

:hurts:

[mcscajun]

5. Two things wrong with this...

1) there's a three year limit to how far back you can go in claiming the refund.

2) You have to file separate claims for each QUARTER! that's 12 forms to get back $50.

The cell phone companies already HAVE all the records. The government is still appealing having to stop collecting the tax.

:grr:

When and if they are ordered to stop collecting the tax, someone, the Congress or the FCC or somebody, ought to allow the cell phone industry to do the calculations and submit on behalf of their customers. Sheesh. Won't happen that way, though.

I'm not holding my breath while waiting for my measly $50.

[im10ashus]

6. Not holding my breath either.

It's amazing how hard they make it for the consumer. Even after we have been screwed in the first place.