California, shockingly, is the not the state with the highest tax burden in the nation. Depending on which source you check, it’s somewhere from number six to number ten in tax burden. But, they’re working hard to raise their ranking
California proposes a plan to tax text messages
California regulators want to tax text messages to increase funds for programs that bring connectivity to underserved residents.
A new surcharge proposed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) wouldn’t be a per-text tax, but a monthly fee based on a cellular bill that includes any fees for text-message services. Most carriers offer a flat fee option for texting, and already charge a similar fee for other services included in the bill — such as phone calls. The exact structure of the charge would vary from carrier to carrier.
The commission will vote on the measure January 10, 2019, and is facing strong opposition from industry trade groups like the CTIA, which represents AT&T Mobility, Sprint, and T-Mobile. (AT&T is the parent company of CNN.)
The 52-page proposal by CPUC Commissioner Carla J. Peterman lays out the details of the plan, and says the state’s Public Purpose Program budget is going up while incoming fees to fill it are decreasing. Currently the surcharge rate is less than 7%.
This could cost consumers up to $44 million a year. How much will it be per person? Even if it is 50 cents per month, it’s too much. It’s the principle of the thing, of the notion that government dinks and dunks us to death on taxes and fees.
And, really, why should citizens be paying for other citizens to have mobile phones? No one pays for mine except me. I could see getting low income a basic non-smartphone with phone service only for safety, but they’re getting smartphones with Internet and everything. If they want this, let them pay for it. There are some who truly deserve public assistance. Most don’t let them get a job to pay for the phone.
California wants to Tax us 45 million a year to give illegals cell phones.
— Carter Hughes (@itscarterhughes) December 12, 2018
That may be overblown, but how much does go to illegals, who obtain all sorts of public services, especially in places like California?
If you’re a leftist people are there for one reason only: to tax. That’s their entire reason for being. There is nothing they propose which does not include more taxes. Then they complain about “wealth distribution” as if their taxes have no affect on such. They also seem to constantly tax things that regular people use and need rather than the actual wealth of their billionaire and millionaire supporters. Funny how that works. They don’t put a 90% tax on Rolex watches or 5ct diamonds, they tax our gas, our phone bill and soon maybe our texts.