Vermont Lawmakers Consider Satellite TV Tax - FOX44 - Burlington / Plattsburgh News, Weather & Sports

The next few days are busy in the Vermont House, as leaders try to hammer out a budget. One way they're proposing to cut into the deficit is by increasing the fees satellite customers pay.      

If you look at the sides of people's homes or the rooftops, you can easily spot satellite TV users.

It's a service that claims to be cheaper than cable, but now Vermont lawmakers might decide to tighten the gap.

"It's one of a whole array of options that we're looking at," said Vt. State Rep. Janet Ancel (D-Washington).

Ancel, who doesn't support the tax, says they're considering adding a 5% tax to people's satellite bills.

That prompted Dish Network to send an email Wednesday to its customers, warning them about the proposal.

Right now, no matter what service you have, cable or satellite there's a 6% sales tax added. But cable customers pay a 5% franchise tax.

A tax that brings in a lot of money.

"In 2011, we collected about $5-6 million dollars," Christopher Recchia, Public Service Board Commissioner, said.

So, why is cable regulated by the state and satellite isn't? Leaders say it's because cable companies use state infrastructure and satellite companies don't use nearly as much. And because satellite isn't state regulated, lawmakers can add the tax without having to go through the Public Service Board. An action that Recchia says could be worrisome for satellite customers.

"So there's no opportunity to have that discussion and to have the different views presented," said Recchia.

Because the state doesn't regulate satellite, leaders don't know how many customers there are.

FOX44 and ABC22 reached out to Dish for a comment, but they did not return our calls.