Ouch. When I move from MO to FL I'll probably have to get a FL area code at some point. Looks like I'm in for it.

I'm on AT&T -- is it a huge hassle with them to change your number? I'm under contract right now, in case that's a factor, using an iPhone. I know ideally it should be as simple as a SIM swap on the phone side, but I don't know about the provider side (they have to change your account and all).

uh, that isn't true at all. at least not for verzion. i've copied and pasted this from my account. my phone number is a Virginia number, but i live in DC. and i have to pay dc taxes.

"Your service and roaming charges are taxed based on your place of primary use (PPU). Generally, we will use the residential or business address you provide when signing up for wireless service as your PPU.

You can change your place of primary use to a different address by selecting the "update" link below."

I believe you just request a new number, you won't need a new sim (which is good, since iPhone's require blessed sim cards and I could see that being a mess).

Also grand: I love NY raping me on yet another tax.

@ConnerC: It's still a SIM card, and I can't imagine the provider not being able to issue a new one identical save for the number saved on it, or use a SIM reader to edit the number saved on the one I have now. There's certain standards that ALL SIMs must have under the GSM standard.

I do hope that it's as simple as going in and explaining and getting the number issued. Too bad as far as I know you can't assign a single phone to two different numbers for an overlap period so that your old number works for a while until everyone who needs your number knows the new one. The only way I know of is to get the number ported to an asterisk system and use forwarding to bounce calls to the new number, and I can't see AT&T releasing it for that purpose -- not that I have an Asterisk system handy here in MO.

I moved from PA to OH, I am going to immediately check to see if I'm still paying PA tax.

So do you call your cell company and just ask for a NV cell number and voila, a lower bill? Or is it more complicated than that?

Wow, normally my State, Massachusetts is nicknamed Taxachusetts, but not in this case...

so can i just mapquest some random place in idaho and give AT&T my address, request email bills and that is that? can you get in any trouble for doing that?

My sister moved from NJ (11.48%) to AZ (16.56%) and kept her NJ number, area code and all, even though her bill is sent to her AZ address. It may require some locals to call Long Distance to reach her, but for most, they have LD plans or have IN calling. So NY'ers, use cousin Guido's address in NJ and get a NJ area code.

The PPU is in fact that the primary place of use, which is not your number or billing address. When I worked for T-Mobile, you could change your PPU and thus your tax rates. I would have never even questioned if you were somehow being dishonest.

@Buran:
While it is a SIM card, only a special subset of the AT&T ones will work in an iPhone.

That, and I'd see how long you can skate using your old number. When my friend went to school out of state, she never bothered to tell them. Three years later, she's moving to another state and still has the original number.

YES! Take that Country! Nevada has the lowest taxes!

Fraud is a good way to avoid taxes? Who would have thought of that?

Looks like I'm getting a 702 area code

We're #3! We're #3!

*sigh*

At least we Washingtonians enjoy a comfortable standard of living, clean water, relatively cheap electricity, etc. Also, 10% sales tax, here we come (currently 8.9% in King County)!

@sleze69: you might not need a new number, just a new address

The Empire State of Cell Phone Taxes. Who knew?

Maybe I should give in my 917 number for a 201 number and address. 201 just rolls off the tongue nicer anyhow.

If you have Sprint, they charge taxes by billing address. So all you have to do is change that (which can be done online) and sign up for paperless billing.

I kept my 516 (Long Island) when I moved from Manhattan to Jersey. Sprint changed the tax rate based on the billing address, so no problem- no fraud for me.

Just get a free number from [www.grandcentral.com] and point it to your cell. I've had them for about a year to keep a local # in a different state. Plus you I give it to vendors when I suspect SMS spam. They got acquired by Google but so far i have not noticed any evil doings.

My cell phone has an Arizona (16.54%) area code and I now live in Texas (19.67%). But I'm only paying 12.5% in taxes and fees (8.5% of which is state and local). And I don't see "federal excise tax" anywhere on my bill.

I assume this is a state average and your local rate may vary?

Has anyone else calculated the actual rate and compared to the chart? Or is it just that the chart is 2 years out of date?

@yagisencho: I used to live in Seattle and if the public services are anywhere near the high quality they were then, then it's worth the tax hit.

@itonix: Now that's an idea. Does it pass through Caller ID so I'd know who was calling? (I have a few custom ringtones assigned to a few contacts).

I just called Verizon to inquire about a land line: $12/mo plus $10 in taxes!

No land line for me! That makes the tax rate over 80%.

Where's Mississippi?

no mississippi on the list of states?

Cellphones are illegal there on account of them not being in the Bible.

maillinkplus is in for a boon in business it appears. No wonder people are moving to NV

I was able to change the PPU through the verizon website - I picked an Anchorage address.

Not even a year old, did you people forget this already?
[consumerist.com]

I live in LA, have a NY area code (from when I lived there). Didn't want to pay NY taxes anymore, so I switched my phone's "address" to NV.

Voila, I now pay NV taxes. Still get my bills in Cali, and everything is registered to Cali. Still have my NY area code.

so what happens when you have a family plan, the account is addressed in nj, the primary line is a 201 (nj), and the secondary line is a 917 (ny)? does that mean the primary line pays nj taxes and the secondary line pays ny taxes?

i guess that's not so bad, but still...seems weird.

btw, the ny number, primary usage is all in nj.

and this is verizon wireless