AT&T, T-Mobile Fail in Another California Utility Tax Lawsuit

Several telecommunications companies including Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T have again failed to convince a California appeals court that utility property they own was unconstitutionally taxed unequally compared to other property.

The California Constitution’s Article XIII, Section 19 requires taxation of utility property “in the same manner as other property” which means that local governments can tax it, not that the tax rates have to be equal, the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District said.

“Based on our review of the plain text and relevant legislative history, we conclude that article XIII, section 19 does not require equivalent or comparable ...