Tax file: Phone tax repeal on hold

Among the many bills left hanging when Congress recessed from October 1 to mid-November was a proposal to repeal the telephone excise tax. The Internal Revenue Service announced last summer that it would refund the tax on long-distance calls, and companies are now scrambling to find documentation for how much they paid for that portion of the tax. But the 3% tax on local calls will remain in effect unless Congress repeals it.

The Senate Finance Committee wrapped the repeal into a larger bill that has yet to be debated on the Senate floor. The House has not acted at all, and there will be very little time to move a bill through both houses before adjournment, currently expected in early to mid-December.