chloe
05-30-2010, 10:32 AM
ALBANY, N.Y. May 30, 2010 (AP)
In an effort to slow the exodus of U.S. telephone work to overseas services, Sen. Charles Schumer is introducing legislation that would impose an excise tax on companies that transfer calls with American area codes to foreign call centers.
The measure would also require telling U.S. customers that the call is being transferred and to which country.
Companies use call centers to give customers technical product support, answer billing questions or provide other information. They often use several operators.
The fee would be 25 cents for calls transferred to foreign countries. There would be no fee for a domestic call center. Companies would have to report quarterly their total customer service calls received and the number relayed overseas.
"If we want to put a stop to the outsourcing of American jobs, then we need to provide incentives for American companies to keep American jobs here," Schumer said last week. The New York Democrat said the excise tax would "also provide a reason for companies that have already outsourced jobs to bring them back."
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10783421
In an effort to slow the exodus of U.S. telephone work to overseas services, Sen. Charles Schumer is introducing legislation that would impose an excise tax on companies that transfer calls with American area codes to foreign call centers.
The measure would also require telling U.S. customers that the call is being transferred and to which country.
Companies use call centers to give customers technical product support, answer billing questions or provide other information. They often use several operators.
The fee would be 25 cents for calls transferred to foreign countries. There would be no fee for a domestic call center. Companies would have to report quarterly their total customer service calls received and the number relayed overseas.
"If we want to put a stop to the outsourcing of American jobs, then we need to provide incentives for American companies to keep American jobs here," Schumer said last week. The New York Democrat said the excise tax would "also provide a reason for companies that have already outsourced jobs to bring them back."
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10783421