https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Economy


Local cell phone fees face limits

Local cell phone fees face limits

Congress is considering a five-year moratorium on 'discriminatory taxes' on mobile services.
  • Written by Ed Brock ([email protected])
  • 1st October 2011

Legislation is pending in Congress that could limit states’ and local governments’ access to extra revenue from taxes on cell phone use in their jurisdictions. The Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2011 (WTFA) is currently awaiting a vote by the House, and several government associations are calling on Congress to vote it down.

If enacted, WTFA would prohibit states and local governments from imposing any new “discriminatory taxes” on mobile services, mobile service providers or mobile service property, such as cell phones, for five years after it is enacted. Supporters of the bill say it is needed to prevent state and local governments from levying what they think are excessively high taxes on their services.

The groups opposing the act, including the Washington-based National Association of Counties (NACo), wrote in a July 14 letter that WTFA would preempt local government authority and undermine their ability to recover from the recession. They also are concerned about WTFA’s definition of local taxes as discriminatory, says Mike Belarmino, NACo’s associate legislative director for finance and intergovernmental affairs.

WTFA essentially defines “discriminatory tax” as a tax that is not generally imposed, or is generally imposed at a lower rate on similar services, businesses or property. Belarmino says that the definition is not specific enough, and if WTFA passes, it could set a precedent for other industries to seek the same kind of federal protection from local tax authorities.

In Montgomery County, Md., which charges a $3.50 per cell phone per month fee, officials are concerned about WTFA, even if the money raised by the tax is just a small part of the county’s $4.4 billion budget, says Patrick Lacefield, the county’s director of public information. “We don’t like raising [taxes] any more than anybody else does, but if it’s a question [of reducing the budget more] after you’ve been reducing the budget for four or five years … the low-hanging fruit is long gone, and the middle of the tree is looking pretty sparse, too,” he says.

All opposed?

Along with NACo, opponents of WTFA include the Washington-based National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, the International City/County Management Association, the Government Finance Officers Association, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

Related Stories

  • Local government associations oppose Wireless Tax Act
  • Investing in public wireless districts

Tags: Administration Economy Smart Cities & Technology

Related


  • COVID-19 and pivoting into a new year: It may be 2021, but did we really leave 2020?
    As we continue to navigate 2021, many issues will require continued tech leadership and support to carry everyone through
  • Artificial cities could pave the way to driverless adoption
    Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) have a future. That is without doubt but there is still a need to ensure that they will be safe on our highways and to ease the public’s safety concerns to increase their adoption over the next few years. CAVs need to be able to react to unforeseen events – […]
  • How city leaders can develop, manage and maintain strategic partnerships
    Now more than ever, the pandemic and economic crisis have exacerbated the need for municipal leaders to collaborate with other sectors including nonprofit, business, and philanthropy
  • Buffalo, N.Y.'s 48 hours to navigate a mission-critical transition to remote work
    In Buffalo, N.Y., 311 is a vital lifeline for the city, providing an always-on call resource for the city’s 250,000 residents to reach city government. When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a stay-at-home order, city officials knew a surge of calls was coming, and they needed to act fast to keep their front-line communications channel open. […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • The future of transportation – leveraging smart solutions to boost user experience
  • Hackers attempt to poison water supply in Florida town
  • Chicago becomes first city to use free COVID-19 vaccine scheduling tool for cities and states
  • Bridging the digital divide by fostering digital inclusion and economic recovery

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Gainesville, Fla. closes Dignity Village and houses its homeless population dlvr.it/Rv1GS2

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities Winner: South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ South Bay Fiber Network dlvr.it/Rv10b7

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties dlvr.it/RtzvBK

4th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

ASCE releases 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure dlvr.it/Rtvck5

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Updating the assessor report: A new approach dlvr.it/RttvDv

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Phases 2 and 3 of Minot, N.D.’s Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan dlvr.it/RtrWMC

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Rethinking worker’s compensation with alternative dispute resolution dlvr.it/RtqmMx

2nd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Harris County, Texas, Precinct 2’s ACCESS2HEALTH SmartPod dlvr.it/Rtm06B

1st March 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X