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504 Cannon House Office
Building · Washington, DC 20515 For Immediate
Release Rep.
Pitts votes to repeal Washington—Congressman
Joe Pitts (R, PA-16) today voted to repeal the Spanish American War
Excise Tax, more than a century after it should have expired. The
tax on telephone service was enacted to fund the Spanish American
war in 1898. The
measure passed on a vote of420 to 2. “It
has been more than 100 years since Teddy Roosevelt charged up San
Juan Hill,” said Rep. Pitts.
“The Spanish American War Telephone Tax, started to pay for
the War with Spain, has been on the books for far too long. “The
American People want tax relief. But most of all, they want
promises kept. This tax
was supposed to be repealed when the Spanish American War was paid
for. It’s about time we
declared the War with Spain over.” The
Spanish American War Excise Tax was enacted in 1898 to raise
emergency funds during the Spanish American War. At its inception, this tax
was intended to be a luxury tax on long-distance service. In 1898, when telephone and
long-distance services were very expensive and usage was limited, an
excise telephone tax was justified as a luxury tax, for what was
then an expensive, non-essential service. The current rate is 3
percent. # # #
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