mo4ch:>LOL! Californians may be slapped with tax on short text messages | Mo4ch News

The Californian state watchdog has proposed a new tax on text messages sent and received by mobile phone users every day. The odd measure to raise new taxes has sparked ridicule and outrage in the state.According to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), funds raised from the text tax will be used to help lower-income California residents to get access to telecommunications services.The CPUC says that the fee, which would total just 70 cents for every $10 in text messages, is not going to significantly raise the monthly amount paid by consumers in the state. The group, which responsible for regulating public utilities operating in the state, claims the tax would just shift some of the charges away from voice services toward texting.Read more However, Bay Area Council along with other high-tech and corporate groups have raised voices against the proposal, saying that the text-messaging surcharges would cost consumers $44.5 million a year. According to the opponents, the SMS …