Schumer wants tax on outsourced calls

Jun 01, 2010 at 03:02 pm by Observer-Review


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Schumer wants tax on outsourced calls

NEW YORK—Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for a tax on customer service calls being outsourced to another country.
Schumer also said in a statement that the legislation would require companies to inform callers when the call is being transferred outside of the country and to where. The tax per outsourced call would be 25 cents for the company. In addition to informing the caller of this, companies would be required to release reports quarterly on total calls and the percent outsourced.
“We have to figure out a way to keep and create jobs in America,” said Schumer. “And aside from manufacturing, probably the number one area where jobs have just fled overseas in huge percentages are these call centers.”
There would be no excise tax on service calls being answered in the U.S., like to the Connection’s Call Center in Penn Yan. The purpose of the proposed bill is to keep jobs in the U.S.
“English speaking workers, whether they are in Indonesia, Canada, the Philippines, South Africa, are willing to work longer hours for lower wages and as a result Americans lose their jobs,” he explained. Schumer added, “There’s no greater incentive to keep calls in our country than consumer pressure. The more customers know about what they’re doing business with and what country the person from the call center is, the more likely they are to place pressure against the companies to end the practice.”
It was announced Jan. 22 that a Connection Call Center would be established in Penn Yan. There are nearly 200 workers at the Yates County facility, with a total of 450 workers expected to be employed here.
In addition to answering questions, employees also offer to sell bundled services to the callers. Successful sales are marked by ringing a bell. Incentives are offered to employees for sales that range from cash to coupons for gift cards and even a coupon that allows dressing down rather than business casual attire.
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