Hurricanes Lead to Tax Rebates on Cellphone Accessories

To help Florida residents better prepare for the 2006 hurricane season, mobile phone batteries and chargers will for the first time be available tax-free during the state's hurricane preparation sales tax holiday, May 21 to June 1.

"Floridians know from experience just how important wireless communication can be during hurricane season, so we believe this measure passed by state legislators is essential," said Mike Lanman, Florida region president for Verizon Wireless. "Proper planning is critical to staying safe, and we urge residents to include emergency communication plans in their hurricane preparations."

Experience in past hurricane seasons demonstrated that residents with extra, fully charged cell phone batteries and those who used cell phone chargers that plug into automobile cigarette lighters or power outlets were better able to communicate -- and even conduct business using laptops with mobile connectivity -- after hurricanes struck and public power was knocked out for extended periods.

The Verizon Wireless network in Florida withstood the impact of eight hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 while other communication networks were often adversely affected. In Florida, nearly 80 percent of all Verizon Wireless sites have their own back-up generator -- in addition to battery power -- to keep the network running even when the power supply is interrupted."

Posted to the site on 17th May 2006