Thanks Casey Aplanalp for keeping the cell phone tax in the news with letters to the ER – he reminds us, the city has been “siphoning off an additional $900,000 every year from taxes not levied, mainly from mobile devices, illegally.”
“They got caught, so now this “phone tax” proposition has been written to legalize this plunder and include what they already take, and then some.”
Yes, this is the city of Chico’s motive behind the cell phone tax that will appear on November’s ballot – like a child, caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Ann Schwab immediately asks to change the rules.
A similar proposition was brought before the citizens of Chula Vista California, seeking to extend their UUT to include “Skype, prepaid cellphones, teleconferencing apps for tablets
and smartphones…” according to attorneys for the city. The voters not only resoundingly defeated the measure, but turned around to sue the city for the money that had been taken illegally. Unfortunately, that suit, filed in 2010, will not be heard in court until January 2013. Here’s a link to the latest story I could find on that, from March. I will follow this and keep you posted.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
We have the sample problem with Seattle illegal phone taxes. thanks for sharing
Thank you!