Billing Question ??

**Russell** · 02-06-2011 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by roehrle

I have been a customer for a couple years now and I just paid my third year bill.$149 + $36 tax. It seems to me that 24% taxes is more than I pay the Govt. Is there something wrong with this . Seems high to me.

I believe looking at it as a percentage is not appropriate in this case since some of the fees are not percentage based. Lets say your county charges a $2 E911 fee. If VOIPo sells you service for $2 a month, your "taxes" are at 100%. So would it make you feel better to be charged $20 a month so your taxes are only 10%? If, philosophically, $3 appears to be a large amount for taxes and fees, compare it with the competition - I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised by how reasonable it is. The bottom line is you as a consumer compare what you get with what the competition offers and choose what works best for you. What I like about VOIPo far outweighs my dislikes - which may explain why I hope to be around a long time.

**voipinit** · 02-06-2011 12:08 PM

POTS was allowed to have taxation without representation attached to it, so that was seen as a legal way to charge any fee or tax that officials want. Believe it or not, with the taxes/fees on telephone anything goes. If they wanted to add a health care tax/fee, or anything else, it just takes a swipe of the pen. It is only limited by imagination so don't be surprised when the tax on phone service is 100% + of the service itself. VOIP was left alone for awhile, but there is no way they were going to give that up forever. Mobile carriers will more than likely be the next target.

**B2ntx** · 02-06-2011 02:44 PM

VoIPinit - you are so right.

<< If they wanted to add a health care tax/fee, or anything else, it just takes a swipe of the pen.>>

Actually, there already is a rural health care component of the Universal Service Fund! Check out "Rural Health Care Program" at the USAC.org website.

<<VOIP was left alone for awhile, but there is no way they were going to give that up forever. Mobile carriers will more than likely be the next target.>>

The wireless industry (mostly owned by telco holding companies) is actually putting up an excellent fight and has achieved some serious progress; it is the interconnected VoIP industry that is flirting with disaster by failing to defend against taxes and assessments. If they'd get their act together, they'd make sure taxes and assessments are levied strictly on physical layer services (like broadband access services) and keep the services and applications that ride over the top free of those encumbrances.

The big telcos don't have a century plus of wins under their collective belt because they are big, they win because they are diligent.