CTIA-The Wireless Association: Statement After the Wireless Tax Fairness Act was Introduced in the Senate

After U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced the Wireless Tax Fairness Act, which would place a five year moratorium on any new and discriminatory taxes and fees imposed on wireless consumers’ monthly bills, and the companion to H.R. 2309, CTIA-The Wireless Association® President and CEO Steve Largent said:

“We greatly appreciate the leadership of Senators Wyden and Toomey for sponsoring this bill. It’s unfair for local and state governments to balance their budgets by choosing to levy disproportionally high taxes on wireless users. In fact, in the last year, the average wireless tax rate has increased from 16.3 percent to 17.2 percent even though the average sales tax rate stayed steady at seven percent. On behalf of the more than 300 million wireless users in the U.S., we hope the Senate moves quickly to put a freeze on these discriminatory taxes by passing this bill.”

CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry’s leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, DC.