Have any of you seen the recent attempt to repeal the "tax on talking"? Well, in case you missed it.....In 1891 Congess passed a 5% tax on phone use to help fund the SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR (emphasis mine). This tax is still going on today and you see it on your bill every month....believe me I know, I work for Verizon...now the largest telecommunications company in the country. This was on our corporate wide web several times. Congress almost unanimously passed the bill (less than 10 voted no, I believe), but Bill Clinton vetoed it I guess because of the content of the rest of the bill. Can't they propose any singular thing without a bunch of crap and special interests tacked on to it??? So here we are...suckers. Still paying 5% federal tax on almost EVERTHING on your phone bill. And they are still getting 5 BILLION dollars a year to do whatever they want with. It is also a little known fact that you can call into the phone company and refuse to pay the federal tax portion of your bill, but you have to do it every month. We supposedly are supposed to adjust off the amount a certain way which automatically lets the IRS know how much you aren't paying. People do it, I've talked to them and it's no big deal as it's not alot of money, but the principle of the matter. Anyway, I don't have the time to screw around with the right adjustment, I just adjust it off regularly as I am sure 99.9% of everyone else is as well =) We've got too much other stuff to worry about doing right for the man than to worry about a stupid adjustment that gives the biggest MAN more info on us.

PS....the only reason I work for the great SATAN is so we could get out of debt and completely pay for our house and land, and we are almost there. =)! Use the system to get out of the system brothers and sisters.

-- JC (survivors00@hotmail.com), December 01, 2000

Answers

Yeah; once someone gave me some lit. from "War Resisters League" and i remember hearing about this war tax as well! Hey....what do you mean by the great satan? Are you referring to getting eaten alive by taxes, or do you have a really mean boss?

-- Beth Weber (talmidim88@hotmail.com), December 01, 2000.

I'm in favor of lowering our tax burden, but it should be lowered on the middle class. Those who work the hardest and are the most productive pay a disproportionate share of total taxes. The phone tax is a good example of a fair tax across the board.

People who choose to be poor and those at the lowest levels of education and intelligence do not pay their fair share of the bills. The phone tax is a good way to make them pay. These people typically waste more money on frivolous phone calls than do intelligent and productive people. As an added benefit, we collect phone taxes from drug dealers, mobsters, petty criminals, the very wealthy, and others who might not otherwise pay any taxes.

This same argument applies to sales taxes. Everybody pays!! Income taxes are very unfair, because so many pay little or nothing. The phone tax is a good one.

-- Jim (catchthesun@yahoo.com), December 01, 2000.

Yes, drug dealers and gansters cheat the IRS, but NOBODY messes with the phone company!

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), December 01, 2000.

there was a lot of press on this and I saw on the news a couple of months ago that Congress finally repealed this law. So there is hope.....we just have to wait a long time for all these other taxes to be repealed!!

-- connie in NM (karrelandconnie@juno.com), December 01, 2000.

UH......I'd check your sources on that....

The measure to repeal the "Tax on Talking" was passed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday, October 12. It was approved by a vote of 58-37 in favor of H.R. 4516, the conference report that provides FY 2001 funding for the Treasury Department, Legislative Branch, and general government services. All members of the coalition and every individual who took action toward this effort should feel proud of this worthy accomplishment!

The bill is now on its way to the White House in hopes of being signed into law by President Clinton.

"The Senate vote brings us one step closer to giving every American and small business greater access to our growing telecommunications infrastructure," said Tax on Talking Coalition Spokesperson, Debbie Garrett.

"We look forward to seeing the President eliminate this tax once and for all."

-- JC (survivors00@hotmail.com), December 01, 2000.