Phone tax facts of the day

…the telephone tax is a very inefficient way to help poor people, says Thomas Hazlett, a professor at George Mason University, in a June white paper (senior.org/USFstudy).  One Hawaiian phone company is getting an annual subsidy of $13,345 per line.  It would be cheaper to give these people free satellite service.

Alaskans are getting rich off oil royalties but still qualify for an average $175 a year each in phone handouts.  The citizens of Jackson Hole, Wyo. are winners, too, to the tune of $282 each.  Does Harrison Ford really need your help?

That is from Bill Baldwin at Forbes.com.