Death, taxes and cell phone bills

Economic development officials statewide tout Florida's low taxes in many areas, usually for good reason, but they missed the call on this latest levy: Florida, at 16.55%, has the fourth-highest average state-local cell phone tax in the country, according to a Tax Foundation report.

The report adds that Floridians, on average, actually pay 22.38% of their wireless bill in taxes and fees. The U.S. average combined federal, state and local rate, the foundation says, is 17.05%.

The high taxes, say the authors of the report, Scott Mackey and Joseph Henchman, matter for more than state rankings. For one, excessive taxes, especially regressive ones like some phone fees, hit low-income consumers the hardest.