July 23, 2020. By a vote of 11-2, the District of Columbia City Council voted to approve an amendment offered by Council Chair Phil Mendelson that is the first step in eliminating the 3% ad tax included in an earlier version of the budget. In short, the amendment reduced the budget by $18.4 with the express purpose of doing away with the ad tax.  The two votes against the amendment were by Councilmembers David Grosso (At-Large) and Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1).

While this is undoubtably good news, it is not the end of the process.  The bill being considered is primarily a spending bill. The final approval of the budget, including revenue sources, is July 28 and it remains possible that supporters of the ad tax may still try to keep it in the budget.

The ad industry’s work is not done. We need to make sure that the Council know we appreciate their support.  Please contact City Councilmembers and thank them for supporting Chairman Mendelson’s amendment and the elimination of the ad tax.

Victory is in sight.  Keep up the good work!