A decline in the number of landline phones is causing some taxing times for Rockland County. Every month there are fewer landlines to tax, so now the county wants to raise taxes on cell phone users.

It costs more than $600,000 a year for Rockland to run its enhanced 911 center, and those funds are raised through an e-911 tax on landlines of 30 cents a month.

However, that revenue is declining rapidly, because there are so many people out there like.

It is a reality across the country. Millions of people are giving up their traditional landline phones and going wireless only.

Call it the landline decline.

In 2005, only about 7 percent of households were wireless only, but by the end of last year, more than 20 percent of households had hung up on landlines.

That’s why in recent years, virtually every county in the region has enacted an e-911 tax on wireless phones.

Now, Rockland County wants to join those counties by charging wireless phone users 30 cents a month to help pay for the 911 center.

“The purpose of the 911 system is to accept those calls, so we’re really just putting the fee on all the lines that are using it. We’re not generating really new revenue. We’re going back to where we were a few years ago,” said Chris Kopf, Rockland budget director.

But what seems like a no-brainer to the county is already getting static from residents.

The County will hold a public hearing on the proposed tax soon, and it sounds like they’ll get an earful.

(Source: WCBSTV)