HB 1051 (Watts), legislation that modernizes the Communications Sales and Use Tax (CSUT) to reflect the present-day telecommunications world, will be heard tomorrow afternoon in the House Finance Committee’s Subcommittee #2.
Action Required – Contact Subcommittee Members today and express your support for HB 1051. VACo detailed the need to innovate the “typewriter tax” in a recent County Connections article.
TALKING POINTS
• The bill updates the CSUT by removing the exemptions for audio and streaming services, and prepaid calling services.
• Elimination of these exemptions was identified by a Department of Taxation study (mandated by the General Assembly) in 2015 as a way to stabilize declining revenues and remove the “competitive disadvantage” they place on providers of similar service, such as cable television and post-paid calling services.
KEY CONTACTS
House Finance Committee’s Subcommittee #2: Hugo (Chairman), Pogge, Cline, Fariss, Bloxom, Watts, Sullivan, Ayala, Ware
Also, please adopt a resolution showing your support. Here’s a template of a resolution counties may use. Send a copy of your resolutions to Dean Lynch at dlynch@vaco.org.
VACo Contacts: Joe Lerch, AICP and Katie Boyle