Maryland digital advertising tax; MD law identified at WHF Jan. 27th program on state issues emerging in 2021

Please find Washington Post article detailing the lawsuit brought by big tech firms and other business groups to challenge the recently enacted digital advertising tax law in Maryland. 

See here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/18/amazon-facebook-google-maryland-lawsuit-tax/

I moderated a panel with the following speakers: Toni Bellissimo, past President of WHF and Megan Howell for Women in Housing and Finance.  Frank Salinger, former AFSA GC, was unable to speak at the January 27, 2021 panel due to a conflict but he contributed background information which we presented in his absence.

The WHF panel did identify the Maryland online/digital advertising tax law, the first such state law in the country.  The lawsuit in federal court in Maryland challenging the Maryland state law was reported on by the Washington Post, as noted above.  The lawsuit is also identified in the Post article as a signal to other states which might consider enacting similar legislation that litigation will ensue challenging any such law on constitutional grounds, and as being discriminatory against out of state businesses and inconsistent and possibly preempted by federal law. 

Tim McTaggart, February 18, 2021