NH CSE ACTIVATES MEMBERS TO DEFEAT THE “POLE TAX”

New Hampshire Citizens for a Sound Economy (NH CSE) State Director Chuck McGee announced today that he had mailed his 3,500 plus members urging them to contact their State House legislators to press for passage of House Bill 1416; preventing a potential $20 million new tax on telephone consumers.

“It is not often CSE members can prevent new taxes by supporting legislation but with the Municipal Association and towns across New Hampshire pushing for higher taxes; it’s important to support HB 1416,” said McGee. “To balance local town and city budgets on the backs of telephone consumers is wrong.”

The New Hampshire Municipal Association in concert with certain local Selectmen and big government Legislators is looking to allow towns and cities to charge telephone companies property taxes on telephone poles and conduit.

“CSE members know that you don’t lower taxes by creating new ones,” continued McGee. “Federal and state taxes nearly double local telephone bills and now town government is looking to get into the act. People are tired of government using their phones bills to fund each and every special project that comes down the pike.”

Under the Communications Service Tax (CST) passed in the early 1990’s, traditional telephone and wireless telephone service are taxed at the same rate. A new $20 million telephone pole tax, passed onto consumers with Public Utilities Commission permission, would create an additional burden on an already diminishing industry and those, such as seniors, who rely on traditional telephone service.

“Seniors and businesses rely on traditional telephone service and to increase taxes on them by $20 million per year with a new telephone pole tax is wrong,” concluded McGee. “It is time government stops laundering tax dollars through the bills of New Hampshire’s telephone consumers.”