DC Council chairman officially scraps ad tax

DC Council chairman cancels proposed advertising tax

Lots of questions still linger around the District’s budget – but one thing is certain, there won’t be an ad tax attached to it.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Lots of questions still linger around the District’s budget – but one thing is certain, there won’t be an ad tax attached to it.

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson hoped to use the tax to support $18 million in new spending, but he relented on Wednesday, writing an amendment to eliminate it.

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Last week, the council had given preliminary approval on the tax – but the public outcry made many members of the council hesitant. With some demanding that it be eliminated immediately.

Instead of voting to pass the tax on Tuesday, Mendelson was confronted with council that emphatically opposed the measure, prompting them to table the vote.

Local television stations including FOX 5, newspapers, radio stations, digital platforms, and advertisers say the ad tax if a business killer – and that costs would be passed onto the consumers.

The National Association of Broadcasters applauded the decision to eliminate a tax that they called "misguided."

A number of council members offered impassioned opposition.
Mayor Muriel Bowser had already indicated she opposed the tax.