Ten billion dollars. That’s how much the federal government may be refunding to millions of taxpayers as a result of recently settled lawsuits. The refunds are for long-distance telephone taxes paid March 2003 through July 2006, and are available on the 2006 federal income tax return. The refund is available to anyone who paid these taxes on land line, wireless, or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.
Taxpayers can base their refund requests on the actual amount of tax paid after February 28, 2003, and before August 1, 2006, or request a standard amount—from $30 to $60—based on the number of exemptions they claim.
The tax was initiated in 1898 to fund the Spanish-American War (battle cry: “Remember the Maine!”) and ended only after lawsuits to end the tax succeeded in 2006.
For more information call the IRS customer service line at (800) 829-1040, check www.irs.gov, or Google “telephone tax refund.”
