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Texting Tax Proposed By California Utility Commission

A texting tax has been proposed by a California utility commission that would add a surcharge for messages sent from a cell phone, potentially impacting residents in the Santa Clarita Valley.


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The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released a proposal this week detailing a plan to find new revenue streams to make up for a deficit created by a state program for a low-income cellular service.

The proposed tax would not be per text; instead it would be a monthly surcharge based on a cellular bill that includes any fees for text message services.

The proposal is facing strong opposition from industry trade groups like the CTIA, which represents AT&T Mobility, Sprint and T-Mobile.

The proposal lays out the details of the plan, and points out that the state’s Public Purpose Program budget is going up while incoming fees to fill it are decreasing.

The budget of the California Public Utilities Commission has increased from $670 million in 2011 to $998 million in 2017, officials said.

However, communications revenues have declined from $16.5 billion to $11.3 billion over the same period, according to the utility agency.

The CTIA argued in a legal filing submitted Wednesday that if texts are an information service, then the CPUC doesn’t have authority over them and can’t add on surcharges. It claims the proposal would violate federal law.

The industry group also says the proposal would create inequity “between wireless carriers and other providers of messaging services,” such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Skype.

The proposed texting taxes would go to a number of different programs, including 911 services, subsidized phone service for low-income residents and equipment for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, according to the CPUC.

The commission is set to vote on the measure Jan. 10, 2019.

Ed. Note: CNN contributed to this report.

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Texting Tax Proposed By California Utility Commission

9 comments

  1. To all those that voted no on Prop 6 and those who didn’t care enough to vote…. here you go. Unlimited taxation by the democratic super majority with NO accountability or voter input required. Enjoy the gift that keeps on giving…. taxation is theft.

  2. I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of paying for the poor to have everything I have had to work my butt off to get! How about we have a bill to start workfare and get off of welfare??!!
    Go to work and buy your on phone!!!!!!

  3. Maybe this tax will wake up the “texting generation” to see that the radicals they vote for don’t care who they steal money from so they can use it to buy votes to feed their own power greed.
    Ronald Perry, We are on the same page!

  4. Precisely Mr. Perry Sr. Thank You for Your statement.

  5. Lol why work anymore ? The Dumacrats will pay your way in life. Great job dems for brainwashing all the weak minded into voting for your agendas . I was getting groceries with the family the other day ,buying store brands and sale items while this guy in front of me spent almost $300. On luxurious steak,shrimp, brand name sodas, everything we could not afford all with food stamps. Time to push the lazy to work not enable thier laziness. Vote republican people and save this proud nation.

  6. This has to be a joke right? I mean WHAT THE MOTHER F*#K! I am so fed up with the greedy “powers that be” and the way they are running California. It is absolutely absurd.

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.