[boba]

Last week I posted on Satellite Guys about a .66 increase on my bill. This week I followed up with a second call to DISH. The CSR explained it was a .62 cent surcharge imposed by Texas and the .04cents was sales tax imposed on that fee. She also explained DISH was making no profit off this!

I next called the Texas Tax Office, their CSR explained Texas does not tax satellite delivery of programming. No .62 state imposed fee? She also explained DISH could impose any fee they wanted but it couldn't be called a Texas imposed fee. Is it time for another class action law suit? With the number of subscribers in this little state it won't take long for .62 cents to add up to millions of dollars!!!!!

 

[phrelin]

FYI. Here's a web site associated with DirecTV that explains taxes on services including Texas. Here a table regarding taxes on programming (the heading in dark blue is heard to read) from that site:

The tax rate listed for Texas is 6.25%

Here's an opinion piece from the Austin Statesman published in April of last year that protests:

No one likes new taxes especially ones that don't make sense. Unfortunately, politicians never seem to learn this simple lesson. Lawmakers in Austin are considering a bill that would slap Texans who subscribe to satellite television with a huge tax increase.

Spearheading this push to nearly double the tax on satellite television is state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston. Supporters of the tax argue that it would "level the playing field" between cable and satellite subscribers, complaining that Texans who get cable television pay a roughly 5 percent municipal franchise fee on top of ordinary sales taxes - a fee that doesn't apply to satellite television.

It appears if you have a problem with the tax you should find out if your State Senator and/or State Representative voted for it. If either or both did, you should campaign and vote against them.

 

[harsh]

Texas does indeed charge a 6.25% tax on TV service. The "Texas Tax Office" is mistaken.

Texas House Bill 3790 amendments were a second run at the issue after HB 3893 went down.

Google is your friend in avoiding pointing blame at the wrong entity.

 

[CCarncross]

Could a moderator please fix the Thread title so as not to mislead others....obviously the OP was mis-informed as Texas does have the satellite tax and it was probably advertised for weeks/months to call your local congressman etc.. to fight the legislation and noone paid any attention until it actually hits their bill, same old thing with EVERY state that passes the legislation.

 

[klang]

Just checked my last few bills online and the state sales tax is not new.

boba, are you seeing something besides the state/local tax?

 

[boba]

Just checked my last few bills online and the state sales tax is not new.

boba, are you seeing something besides the state/local tax?

If these people would learn to read they would realize sales tax is not a satellite tax. They would also see the word SURCHARGE DISH is claiming a fee imposed by the state that the State says is not their doing.

If DISH wants to charge us a .62cent fee they can do it just don't lie about whose fee it is.

 

[boba]

Texas does indeed charge a 6.25% tax on TV service. The "Texas Tax Office" is mistaken.

Texas House Bill 3790 amendments were a second run at the issue after HB 3893 went down.

Google is your friend in avoiding pointing blame at the wrong entity.

Sales tax is nothing new but why don't you google surchage and show me where the State of Texas is authorized to charge one on satellite deliverd programming. This first appearance on my bill was From June 13th-July 12th. The state legislature hasn't met since June 2011.

 

[boba]

FYI. Here's a web site associated with DirecTV that explains taxes on services including Texas. Here a table regarding taxes on programming (the heading in dark blue is heard to read) from that site:

The tax rate listed for Texas is 6.25%

Here's an opinion piece from the Austin Statesman published in April of last year that protests: It appears if you have a problem with the tax you should find out if your State Senator and/or State Representative voted for it. If either or both did, you should campaign and vote against them.

Actually Texas Sales tax is 6.25% but there are special taxing districts that can raise the taxes upto 8.25% I really pity DISH accountants having to keep track of all the districts. It can vary from city to city not something as big as a county.

 

[phrelin]

What I get from the article is in this "Spearheading this push to nearly double the tax on satellite television...." I don't really know how this went down in the end, but it doesn't surprise me that Dish might use the term "surcharge."

The situation revolves around municipalities charging a franchise fee to cable companies, just like phone and power utilities, for the use of street rights-of-way. The charge dates back more than a century. Wikipedia explains:

A cable television franchise fee in the United States stems from a community's basic right to charge for use of the property it owns. The cable television franchise fees represent part of the compensation a community receives in exchange for the cable operator's occupation and the right-of-way use of public property. A franchise fee is not a tax; it is a rental charge.

The reality is that power companies still have no real competition and land-line phone companies have only recently faced real competition from people having cell phones as their only phone.

Cable, on the other hand, does have serious competition in the two DBS satellite companies. So among their many ethically questionable activities, cable companies have purchased an adequate number of legislators around the nation to institute statewide taxes in order to make satellite less competitive. These taxes are not for the use of public property in any sense that franchise fees are.

The satellite companies fight it, but its a losing battle when voters I guess are focused on issues that affect their day-to-day lives more. I see ordinary people getting hot and bothered about issues that at no time in my life would have affected me.

Maybe someone who is aware of the specifics of what happened in Texas could comment more. I can only rant knowledgeably about the idiocy of the California Legislature.

 

[harsh]

The part that the ethically challenged haven't caught on to is that franchise fees are typically premised on the use of utility right-of-ways (for buried cable or "pole contact") that satellite doesn't use. Several of the Texas organizations have used this as an argument against the charge.

The fee is NOT a typical sales tax (or VAT) in the sense that it only applies to home entertainment services.

 

[dmspen]

Are the DISH antennae bigger in Texas?

 

[boba]

Are the DISH antennae bigger in Texas?

No but Dallas, Texas is where Charlie Ergen met Jim DeFranco and played poker before they created Echosphere Corp.

So far DISH has created a SURCHARGE in TEXAS of .62cents another in OHIO of .20 cents and in WASINGTON State of $1. No programming increases but several sneaky additional charges.:lol::lol::lol:

 

[tymekeeper]

I live in Texas and have no .62 cent surcharge on my bill, only the State and Local "sales" taxes. Maybe your particular city or county is imposing this fee.

 

[boba]

I live in Texas and have no .62 cent surcharge on my bill, only the State and Local "sales" taxes. Maybe your particular city or county is imposing this fee.

Keep watching your bill mine just went up 66 cents with no explanation so I called to get the reason for me it is on a bill starting June 28th. Enough customers have responded to this forum and Satellite guys that I know it isn't my 140 resident town.

 

[SayWhat?]

Enough customers have responded to this forum and Satellite guys that I know it isn't my 140 resident town.

I haven't seen anyone here respond that they have the same surcharge you're asking about.

 

[klang]

The bill I received yesterday had no line item for an extra surcharge. Just the usual state/local tax.

 

[boba]

The bill I received yesterday had no line item for an extra surcharge. Just the usual state/local tax.

My bill didn't have a line item either it was just 66cents higher that was why I had to call DISH. On Social Security I watch where my money goes.

 

[SayWhat?]

My bill didn't have a line item either it was just 66cents higher ...

See, you're throwing out little bits and pieces of information without any documentation. Then, when somebody counters, you offer some other bit to counter them.

It would help a great deal if you would start from the beginning and detail the situation so that people can hold a rational discussion.

Have you tried to contact one of the DIRTs?

 

[RasputinAXP]

Post a screenshot of the bill, with the line highlighted.

 

[boba]

Talked with a CSR in DISH'S retention dept, she confirmed that DISH informed them about a week ago that about 8-10 states were going to be hit with surcharges. Texas, Ohio,Washington state, Connecticut and Virgin Islands were confirmed. I didn't catch the rest of the states and I didn't ask her to repeat them. She did admit she was in Texas and her bill did show the surcharge.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR BILL AND QUESTION ANY SLIGHT CHANGE.