Taxes and Fees on Communication Services – 59 City Tables

Published May 31, 2007

Cable television and telephone subscribers pay hefty taxes and fees on these services, while Internet access is largely untaxed. The burden on telephone and cable subscribers in 59 cities for which complete data are available is 13.40 percent. This is more than twice the average general sales tax paid on other goods (6.61 percent). This report documents taxes and fees on communication services, describes their destructive consequences, and calls for tax and regulatory reform.

The tables below, in PDF format, provided city-specific data for the tax and fee burdens faced by average consumers in 59 cities who have cable, wireline telephone, wireless telephone, and Internet services. The average monthly cost imposed on consumers is $20.59, for an imputed rate of 10.94 percent.

The total burden ranges from a low of $10.93 (5.81 percent) in Lansing, Michigan to a high of $30.22 (16.06 percent) in Tallahassee, Florida. Consumers in the cities of Kansas City, Missouri, Austin and Dallas, Texas, Omaha, Nebraska, and Tallahassee, Florida endure the highest burden. Meanwhile, consumers in Lansing, Michigan, Billings, Montana, Carson City, Nevada, Wilmington, Delaware, and Las Vegas, Nevada enjoy the lowest rates.

Annapolis, MD
(05-09-07) Annapolis MD

Atlanta, GA
(05-09-07) Atlanta GA

Augusta, ME
(05-09-07) Augusta ME

Austin, TX
(05-09-07) Austin TX

Baltimore, MD
(05-09-07) Baltimore MD

Billings, MT
(05-09-07) Billings MT

Birmingham, AL
(05-09-07) Birmingham AL

Bismarck, ND
(05-09-07) Bismarck ND

Boston, MA
(05-09-07) Boston MA

Carson City, NV
(05-09-07) Carson City NV

Casper, WY
(05-09-07) Casper WY

Charleston, SC
(05-09-07) Charleston SC

Charlotte, NC
(05-09-07) Charlotte NC

Cheyenne, WY
(05-09-07) Cheyenne WY

Chicago, IL
(05-09-07) Chicago IL

Colorado Springs, CO
(05-09-07) Colorado Springs CO

Columbus, OH
(05-09-07) Columbus OH

Concord, NH
(05-09-07) Concord NH

Dallas, TX
(05-09-07) Dallas TX

Davenport, IA
(05-09-07) Davenport IA

Denver, CO
(05-09-07) Denver CO

Des Moines, IA
(05-09-07) Des Moines IA

Dover, DE
(05-09-07) Dover DE

Fargo, ND
(05-09-07) Fargo ND

Fort Smith, AR
(05-09-07) Ft. Smith AR

Fort Wayne, IN
(05-09-07) Ft. Wayne IN

Gulfport, MS
(05-09-07) Gulfport MS

Huntington, WV
(05-09-07) Huntington WV

Indianapolis, IN
(05-09-07) Indianapolis IN

Jacksonville, FL (updated 06/13/07)
(06-13-07) Jacksonville FL

Jefferson City, MO
(05-09-07) Jefferson City MO

Kansas City, MO
(05-09-07) Kansas City MO

Lansing, MI
(05-09-07) Lansing MI

Las Vegas, NV
(05-09-07) Las Vegas NV

Little Rock, AR
(05-09-07) Little Rock AR

Los Angeles, CA
(05-09-07) Los Angeles CA

Madison, WI
(05-09-07) Madison WI

Manchester, NH
(05-09-07) Manchester NH

Memphis, TN
(05-09-07) Memphis TN

Milwaukee, WI
(05-09-07) Milwaukee WI

Minneapolis, MN
(05-09-07) Minneapolis MN

Montgomery, AL
(05-09-07) Montgomery AL

Omaha, NE
(05-09-07) Omaha NE

Philadelphia, PA
(05-09-07) Philadelphia PA

Phoenix, AZ
(05-09-07) Phoenix AZ

Portland, ME
(05-09-07) Portland ME

Portland, OR
(05-09-07) Portland OR

Raleigh, NC
(05-09-07) Raleigh NC

Sacramento, CA
(05-09-07) Sacramento CA

Salt Lake City, UT
(05-09-07) Salt Lake City UT

Santa Fe, NM
(05-09-07) Santa Fe NM

Seattle, WA
(05-09-07) Seattle WA

Sioux Falls, SD
(05-09-07) Sioux Falls SD

Springfield, IL
(05-09-07) Springfield IL

St. Paul, MN
(05-09-07) St. Paul MN

Tallahassee, FL (updated 06/13/07)
(06-13-07) Tallahassee FL

Tucson, AZ
(05-09-07) Tucson AZ

Wichita, KS
(05-09-07) Wichita KS

Wilmington, DE
(05-09-07) Wilmington DE