[Chris Blount]

Arizona Mulls Satellite TV Tax

Arizona state lawmakers are considering a tax for satellite TV services, an effort they said would treat all multichannel competitors equally given that cable TV offerings in the state are already taxed by the state government.

State Sen. Ruth Solomon, a Democrat from Tucson, is the sponsor of the bill that would extend a sales tax already paid by cable operators to DBS services. Senate Bill 1062 easily passed the Senate Appropriations Committee last week and is awaiting full Senate action.

The Arizona Legislature is considering a number of bills that would tax out-of-state utility providers. The measures could bring in as much as $87 million a year, and come at a time when lawmakers and Gov. Jane Hull are struggling to balance the state budget, the Arizona Republic newspaper reported this week.

From http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)

 

[John Corn]

*sigh*, just another way to get more money from us......

 

[The Old Wizard]

Unfortunately, this is trend that may spread across the country. Here in Florida the State added a $5.00 tax to all satellite TV bills late last year. State governments are always looking for new revenue sources. Since satellite TV is becoming, more & more popular, it is only logical that the states would turn to this growing source of revenue.

 

[Chris Blount]

More bad news today but there is hope:

Arizona Dish Tax Moves Forward

A bill that would tax satellite TV services in Arizona squeaked out of the state's Senate chambers this week on a 16-13 vote.

Senate Bill 1062 would make DBS offerings subject to a 5 percent tax. Cable TV customers already pay a similar tax, and backers of the bill said taxing satellite TV would put both services on an equal footing.

Proceeds from the tax would go to Arizona's cities and towns, which would be prohibited from imposing their own tax on the service.

According to the Arizona Republic, the bill now goes to the House, where its prospects of passage are dim due to the House's Republican majority and its resistance to new taxes.