# That long distance phone tax rebate thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395 "2007-02-08T19:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/1 "2007-02-08T19:47:16Z")
Looking to do my taxes this weekend and ran across something about this rebate on long distance taxes? Apparently one can either request copies of one’s old phone bills and calculate the amount or one can check a box and get a set amount betweem $30 and $60. My question is, is it worth it to try to calculate an actual amount off old phone bills or is the $30-60 gonna cover the amount that I might expect? My monthly phone bills for dial tone were between $18 and $25 per month throughout the relevant time period and included 60 minutes per month of long distance, and to the best of my recollection I never used any additional LD minutes. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/2 "2007-02-08T20:27:48Z")
I haven’t actually done the math myself but I’m guessing you can probably receive a greater rebate if you do an actual calculation of taxes paid, rather than taking the fixed amount based on your claimed exemptions. However, I don’t think it will be the difference between, say, $50 and $500, probably more like a difference between $50 and $67.50, or something along those lines. I plan to click the box and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/3 "2007-02-08T21:02:49Z")
I actually have a few years of phone bills, but the tax was never that large, my taxes take long enough to do already, and I can’t imagine looking up the totals, adding them up, and filling in the form is worth my time. I’m happy to get the $50 in my case. Remember the Maine! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/4 "2007-02-08T21:39:05Z")
D’oh! I ignored that box. :o Federal taxes on the telephone bill have long been popular for tax resistance, since supposedly they are overwhelmingly used for “defense” spending. Interesting there’s a rebate on them. Why are they doing this? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/5 "2007-02-09T01:46:02Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] D’oh! I ignored that box. :o Federal taxes on the telephone bill have long been popular for tax resistance, since supposedly they are overwhelmingly used for “defense” spending. Interesting there’s a rebate on them. Why are they doing this? [/QUOTE] The [‘defense spending’](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2006-05-25-phone-tax_x.htm) was the Spanish-American war. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/6 "2007-02-09T02:09:36Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] The [‘defense spending’](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2006-05-25-phone-tax_x.htm) was the Spanish-American war. [/QUOTE] Well, we won. I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/7 "2007-02-09T17:58:08Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] The [‘defense spending’](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2006-05-25-phone-tax_x.htm) was the Spanish-American war. [/QUOTE] > **[Hang Up On War - National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee](https://nwtrcc.org/programs-events/hang-up-on-war/)** > > Telephone tax resistance has a long history in the peace movement, and over the years the related campaigns gained the name “Hang Up On War.” Read more... "The federal excise tax itemized on our telephone bills has been associated with war throughout most of its long history. It was first imposed on toll calls in 1898, during the Spanish-American war era, but removed in 1902. Imposed as a “temporary” tax by the War Tax Revenue Act of 1914, this tax has been used to help raise extra dollars for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, as well as weapons of every conceivable kind. " ---
**Author:** ![ThomasHanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@ThomasHanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThomasHanks)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-long-distance-phone-tax-rebate-thing/391395/8 "2007-02-09T23:07:37Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Looking to do my taxes this weekend and ran across something about this rebate on long distance taxes? Apparently one can either request copies of one’s old phone bills and calculate the amount or one can check a box and get a set amount betweem $30 and $60. My question is, is it worth it to try to calculate an actual amount off old phone bills or is the $30-60 gonna cover the amount that I might expect? My monthly phone bills for dial tone were between $18 and $25 per month throughout the relevant time period and included 60 minutes per month of long distance, and to the best of my recollection I never used any additional LD minutes. [/QUOTE] huh?