Phone line tax 'to be unveiled as part of finance bill'

The government plans to implement its proposed tax on nationwide phone lines as part of a finance bill before the next general election, a minister has said.

Stephen Timms MP, the government's minister for digital Britain and financial secretary to the Treasury, announced the tax - which includes charging every household with a phone line a 50p monthly levy - earlier this year, saying it will be vital for funding next-generation broadband networks throughout the UK, reports the Yorkshire Post.

Mr Timms said the tax could help ensure people in rural parts of the UK have the same access to fast broadband services as people living in towns and cities.

Faster speeds can facilitate better download times and better use of applications such as VoIP solutions.

According to the paper, the minister told delegates this week at the Next-Gen conference at the Royal Armouries in Leeds: "As the minister at the Treasury responsible for the finance bill, it's my aim to legislate for that levy this side of the general election."

The government has pledged to provide broadband to every UK home by 2012.