California Utilities Commission Scraps Plan to Tax Texts

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The state of California’s plan to place a tax on text messages was scrapped after the California Public Utilities Commission withdrew from its January meeting agenda a scheduled vote on imposing the tax on text.

Fox News reports the move came after the FCC declared text messaging to be an “information service,” not a telecommunications service, and therefore was not subject to a surcharge under California law.

The Commission had claimed that the proposed tax on text messages was to help subsidize service for low-income and disabled residents.

Jim Patterson, a Republican former mayor of Fresno, praised the FCC’s ruling, calling the text tax plan “an outrageous attempt at a money grab from California families.”

Corrie O'Connor