"The Fleecing of America,"
an excellent regular segment on NBC Nightly News, usually
focuses on how government spending programs waste money. On November
4, the network devoted that day’s edition of "Fleecing" to a hidden
tax that many Americans may not even know they pay.
"At a time when a telephone
of some kind seems to be a permanent attachment to the hands of
every American, you may be surprised to know your friendly tax
collector thinks it’s a luxury," Tom Brokaw said, introducing the
report about taxes on phone calls. "You think the phone is a
necessity?" correspondent Fred Francis then asked viewers. "The
government says it’s a sin, which is really an excuse to hit you
with an extra tax, a so-called sin tax." According to Francis, "The
tax began in 1898 to finance the war effort with Spain. There were
only 3 million phones then. They were expensive, a luxury. It was
supposed to be temporary, but today it’s permanent — three percent
of every bill." Francis noted that this "cost taxpayers last year $5
billion alone."
Kudos to Francis for
telling viewers of a hidden way that the government fleeces
Americans.
— Rich
Noyes
