AT&T Mobility is facing numerous lawsuits from customers who allege that the carrier is improperly levying taxes against them on mobile Internet access fees.
In two separate suits, filed is federal court in Georgia and Indiana, customers allege the company is taxing the mobile data portion of their bill when it shouldn't. The suits allege AT&T is violating the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, which bars state and local governments from levying taxes on Internet access between Nov. 1, 2003 and Nov. 1, 2014. Both suits are seeking class-action status, and are both part of a larger wave of suits across the country on the issue.
AT&T spokesman Marty Richter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the carrier has done nothing illegal. "AT&T complies with all tax laws," he said.
This is by no means the first time a wireless carrier has faced questions over billing and tax issues. AT&T and most of the rest of the wireless carrier community have had to address, and in some cases modify, various state and local tax charges and billing efforts.
For more:
- see this Atlanta Journal-Constitution article
- see this Chicago Sun-Times article
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