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Thread: Amherst adds a 5% tax to your tv viewing pleasure

  1. #1
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Amherst adds a 5% tax to your tv viewing pleasure

    The Town of Amherst Signed a 15 year Agreement with Verizon.

    Time Warner TV cable service, as early as this August, will have competition from Verizon Communication for cable TV service. Some people in Amherst will be able to buy this service as early as August.
    The Village of Williamsville will be the only area which will not be wired to receive Verizon cable within 5 years. The rest of Amherst will be connect in two to five years.
    The Town of Amherst will receive 5% of Verizon’s gross cable revenue. The 75 buildings owned by the town will get free cable. No nursing home or hospitals will receive any free benefits.
    There will not be extra benefits for the aged. The service and price between the two companies will be compatable. Verizon will not tape the Town meetings for broadcast.

    Why is Amherst taxing the tv viewers of Amherst 5% ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident
    The Town of Amherst Signed a 15 year Agreement with Verizon.




    Why is Amherst taxing the tv viewers of Amherst 5% ?
    I wouldn’t call it a tax. I would call it Verizon buying the right with some sweet kickbacks.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by GG716
    I wouldn’t call it a tax. I would call it Verizon buying the right with some sweet kickbacks.
    It's a tax no matter how you want to twist it. It's a fee added to the cost of doing business for verizon.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident
    It's a tax no matter how you want to twist it. It's a fee added to the cost of doing business for verizon.
    At least it's not a FORCED tax. Only a tax if the citizens choose to do business with Verizon.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by GG716
    At least it's not a FORCED tax. Only a tax if the citizens choose to do business with Verizon.
    But what about Verizon? It's a business. WHy should it be taxed to do it's business in Amherst?

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    Boo-hoo, don't want to pay the "tax"? Don't do business with verizon. That's how the market works, right? Am I right or not?

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by Genoobie
    Boo-hoo, don't want to pay the "tax"? Don't do business with verizon. That's how the market works, right? Am I right or not?
    Jus another burden to Verizon.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident
    But what about Verizon? It's a business. WHy should it be taxed to do it's business in Amherst?
    Verizon agreed to this w/o protest correct?
    What is this 5% concidered to the Town Donation, surcharge, fee, tax?

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    Why the tax

    Because they can - that's why!
    dono

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    Quote Originally Posted by GG716
    Verizon agreed to this w/o protest correct?
    What is this 5% concidered to the Town Donation, surcharge, fee, tax?

    The town also gets services for town owned buildings/centers as well as 5% strict revenue which I imagine goes into the general fund for spending at the will of the town board. The cost to verizon will reasonably be made up by consumers, but we will still get the services to the town faciities which many of us use.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dvoakley
    Because they can - that's why!
    Isn't it enough that they generate taxes on revenue and property taxes?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dvoakley
    Because they can - that's why!
    Can you hear me, can you hear me now.

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    I may be able to comprehend some of your issues in regard to the 5 % surcharge, but it is commonplace throughout the country for governmental agencies to obtain some $$ from a cable vendor outside of an outright franchise fee. Regardless of this issue, with Time Warner's contract with the town, Senior Citizens received free basic cable service, so who do you think paid for that?

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    Unregistered Enough's Avatar
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    http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/se...&submit=Submit

    Donor occupation: Verizon

    Donor State: NY

    785 records found in 1.341 seconds.
    Total for this search: $499,644

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    Quote Originally Posted by forreason
    I may be able to comprehend some of your issues in regard to the 5 % surcharge, but it is commonplace throughout the country for governmental agencies to obtain some $$ from a cable vendor outside of an outright franchise fee. Regardless of this issue, with Time Warner's contract with the town, Senior Citizens received free basic cable service, so who do you think paid for that?

    It is just a legal form of a kickback. If an individual member or the TS would have done this, he would be looking at jail time, however, if a Municipality does it, well, hurrah!!!
    "In valor there is hope" -Tacitus

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