Taxes & Advertising Compliance

TAXES & ADVERTISING COMPLIANCE

Taxes on Digital Ads and the Use of Personal Data: The Alliance works to exempt news media entities from taxes on digital advertising or the use of personal data. These revenue lines are appealing to lawmakers as levies on platforms, but they have a disproportionate impact on a key source of publishing revenue and impose severe pass-through costs on local businesses and nonprofits who advertise with news publishers. As a model bill, Maryland’s digital ad tax explicitly exempts news media entities.

Advertising Deductibility: Advertising is vital to the economic stability of the news and magazine media industry and a critical resource in support of high-quality, original journalism. The consequences of changing the current treatment of advertising would ripple through the entire economy from media companies, advertisers, and their agencies to the multitude of industries that depend on advertising to move their products and services. Through our leadership with The Ad Coalition, the Alliance works to ensure lawmakers recognize the impact of advertising on job and economic growth, which depends on the continued ability to deduct advertising costs as “ordinary and necessary” business expenses.

Advertising Compliance: The Alliance actively monitors compliance obligations in advertising across a broad array of issues. From Federal Trade Commission rulemaking to state legislation, the Alliance advocates for preserved access to a key source of revenue that sustains the work of publishers.

News/Media Alliance members can receive regular updates on tax and advertising compliance issues by contacting membership@newsmediaalliance.org.

Latest Articles

Staff / May 13, 2021

Publishers Call on President to Use Local Newspaper Advertising to Help Reach Their Goal of 70% Vaccinated by July 4

The News Media Alliance and the National Newspaper Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden encouraging the Administration to use advertising in local newspapers to help build trust and acceptance of vaccines ... Read More

Julia Shurman / May 5, 2021

Higher Rates, Slower Service Highlights USPS 10-Year Plan

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's new ten-year strategic plan for the Postal Service, “Delivering for America,” will impact all users of the postal system, with clear and potentially serious implications for newspaper publishers that rely on the postal system for newspaper delivery ... Read More

Staff / March 11, 2021

News Publishers Should be Top Distribution Channel for COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Campaign

In the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act, which President Biden signed into law today, Congress included $1 billion in funding for an awareness campaign to build trust and acceptance of vaccines. The News Media Alliance recommends that trusted sources such as local news publishers be a top distribution channel ... Read More

Paul J. Boyle / January 12, 2021

Newspapers Challenge Removal of Rate Cap Established by Congress

The News Media Alliance and the National Newspaper Association have joined a legal challenge of an order by the Postal Regulatory Commission that would effectively eliminate a Congressionally-mandated limit on postal rate increases for Periodicals and Marketing Mail ... Read More

Paul J. Boyle / December 4, 2020

New Rule May Mean Unsustainable Postal Rates for Newspapers

On November 30, the Postal Regulatory Commission approved a rule, establishing a new rate-setting system that eliminates the previously implemented cap on postage rates which could harm newspapers and ultimately weaken the nation’s postal system.  ... Read More

Paul J. Boyle / October 26, 2020

USPS Proposes Rate Changes – Minor to No Change for Newspapers’ Mailed Products

On October 9, the United States Postal Service announced rate changes for Marketing Mail and for Periodicals mail ... Read More

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