A group of Maryland business groups is launching a campaign Tuesday to persuade state lawmakers to nix a pioneering tax on digital ads.
The coalition, which calls itself Marylanders for Tax Fairness, describe the tax as a poorly timed initiative that would ultimately hurt small businesses that advertise online.
The General Assembly passed the tax this spring to raise $250 million a year for education. Democratic leaders described the proposal as a targeted tax on social media and Internet giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, which tailor online ads based on user data. The tax is levied on the big companies who run the ads, but the new coalition argues the expense would be passed on to those who buy the advertisements.
The tax was approved on a party-line vote in March, just as the coronavirus pandemic was prompting nationwide shutdowns, and Gov. Larry Hogan, R, vetoed it in May. The General Assembly, where Democrats hold a veto-proof majority, will take up whether to sustain or overturn the veto when it reconvenes in January.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Erin Cox over at The Washington Post
