Billing can be complicated. Taxes are usually complicated. Mix billing and taxes into a spaghetti of rules, systems and processes and you might find yourself in a stew. Add a spoonful of reliance on a business with a poor attitude towards data integrity. Then add a dash of the usual lack of internal controls within telcos. You get a recipe that left some Qwest customers being charged too much sales tax. Well done to Margaret Smith, the local county official in Spokane County, Washington, USA, who unraveled the mess. Because of her hard work, Qwest will be serving up a refund. Read the story here and here.