As of 2020, there were more active cell phone and wireless plans in the U.S. than there were Americans—about 448 million, to be precise. The taxes on those plans brought in approximately $11.3 billion and constituted a record 24.96 percent of the cost of an average cell phone bill.
One thing is clear, these increasing taxes aren't being used to fund fewer robocalls, so what are they for?
On this episode of The Deduction, host Jesse Solis and Tax Foundation excise tax expert Ulrik Boesen discuss why wireless taxes are climbing, the places they're the highest, the consumers they impact the most, and how things can be improved.