Union County Emergency 911 Coordinator Mildred Churchill came before the Board of Supervisors Monday morning to suggest that a new ordinance be passed making it mandatory that every consumer that has a landline phone or pays for a media bundle has to pay the $1 fee to the county.
Churchill said, “The problem is with Voice-Over Internet Protocol. If you get this package, the consumer is not currently having to pay this $1 fee.”
Media bundles can be through cellular or landline phone companies, cable providers like Metrocast, or satellite providers like DirecTV or Dish Network. The media bundles normally package services like cable or satellite, phone, and internet to offer a lower rate to the consumer.
On July 1, 2010, Senate Bill 2938 was passed in the Mississippi Senate during the 2010 Regular Session. The bill states that this is an Emergency 911 law and include fees for VoIP and prepaid cell phones.
Mississippi Digital Daily.com said that Senate Bill 2938 imposes a new $1 tax on Internet-connected telephone lines and prepaid cell phones. The site also said that this is the same tax already levied on other telephone users to help fund 911 services.
According to the Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR), “Senate Bill 2938 was passed during the 2010 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature and requires retailers of prepaid wireless telecommunication services to collect a $1.00 Prepaid Wireless E911 Charge.”
DOR explained that some examples of prepaid wireless telecommunication services are cellular phones that come preloaded with a set dollar amount or set number of minutes for use by the customer and cards the customer uses to reload their cellular phone with a set dollar amount or set number of minutes, according to the DOR.
Board President Danny Jordan said, “We will take a look at it and take it under advisement.”
Newsletters
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
