Steve Mehs
04-17-03, 02:22 AM
A tax rights group is targeting Ohio state lawmakers and their effort to tax satellite TV services in the state.
Americans for Tax Reform recently sent letters to Ohio lawmakers urging them to ignore those lobbying for a tax on satellite TV services. "Satellite taxes are by no means 'OK,' they are a ploy by satellite’s competitors to tilt the playing field, causing consumers and taxpayers harm," said the group's president, Grover Norquist.
Ohio and other states are looking to tax satellite TV - and some cases cable - in order to address budget shortfalls. In his letter to Ohio lawmakers, Norquist said the satellite TV tax "is a nationwide ploy by cable, and it could not come at a worse time for you – or a better time for them.
"With legislatures desperately seeking cash, cable is making the argument that in fact satellite taxes only 'level the playing field' between the two industries, since cable pays local taxes that satellite does not," Norquist said. He pointed out that local retailers who sell satellite TV pay local taxes, and satellite companies pay federal fees for spectrum.
Along with the Americans for Tax Reform, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association and member companies DirecTV, EchoStar, and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative are addressing the tax legislation's shortcomings with Ohio lawmakers, and are trying to get the tax removed from the state budget.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with Permission)
Americans for Tax Reform recently sent letters to Ohio lawmakers urging them to ignore those lobbying for a tax on satellite TV services. "Satellite taxes are by no means 'OK,' they are a ploy by satellite’s competitors to tilt the playing field, causing consumers and taxpayers harm," said the group's president, Grover Norquist.
Ohio and other states are looking to tax satellite TV - and some cases cable - in order to address budget shortfalls. In his letter to Ohio lawmakers, Norquist said the satellite TV tax "is a nationwide ploy by cable, and it could not come at a worse time for you – or a better time for them.
"With legislatures desperately seeking cash, cable is making the argument that in fact satellite taxes only 'level the playing field' between the two industries, since cable pays local taxes that satellite does not," Norquist said. He pointed out that local retailers who sell satellite TV pay local taxes, and satellite companies pay federal fees for spectrum.
Along with the Americans for Tax Reform, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association and member companies DirecTV, EchoStar, and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative are addressing the tax legislation's shortcomings with Ohio lawmakers, and are trying to get the tax removed from the state budget.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with Permission)