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Gov't confirms 50p landline tax for broadband funding

The chancellor has confirmed the tax, which will help to fund the government's promise to bring super-fast broadband to 90 percent of the UK
Written by Jo Best, Contributor

Chancellor Alistair Darling has confirmed the government's planned 50p per month tax on UK landlines will come into effect later this year.

The next-generation levy, announced last year, will help pay for the government's pledge that at least 90 percent of the UK will get super-fast broadband services by 2017.

By charging landline owners £6 per year, the government hopes to raise up to £175m annually to help fund the extension of next-generation broadband services to areas where commercial providers are unlikely to take their rollouts, such as rural regions.

For more on this story, see £6 superfast broadband-for-all tax will arrive this October on silicon.com.

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