Thursday, April 25, 2013
Company tells City Council committee it may have to stop doing public service announcements if it passes.
Representatives from Clear Channel Outdoor, which owns 95 percent of the outdoor ads in Baltimore, argued a tax on billboards was discriminatory against the company and could prevent it from doing further public service ads. The bill, which was introduced at the behest of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s administration, was given its first Council hearing on Thursday at City Hall. It calls for a $5 per square foot tax on standard billboards and $15 per square foot tax on electronic billboards. "We oppose this bill, respectfully we oppose this bill," said Frank Boston, a lobbyist for the company. Boston said he applauded the steps the mayor has taken to address a predicted $30 million deficit in the coming fiscal year’s budget and the …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The tax is almost identical to what was previously proposed by Councilman Bill Henry, who represents the York Road corridor.
A city council committee is set to give a hearing to a proposed billboard tax that could mean $1 million in revenue for Baltimore. At 10 a.m., Thursday at City Hall, the Baltimore City Council’s Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the tax. The idea of taxing billboards is not new, Councilman Bill Henry has proposed the tax twice before, but it’s the first time the expected revenue from the tax has been included in a proposed budget, indicating Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s support. In February, Henry said his proposal, which would have charged a tax of $5 per 10 square foot for outdoor advertising and larger than 10 feet and $15 per square foot for electronic advertising, was defeated …
Friday, June 8, 2012
Councilman Bill Henry believes a tax on billboards could be part of an alternative to raising the city's bottle tax.
Councilman Bill Henry’s proposed tax on billboards will go before the whole City Council on Monday, but it’s unknown if the bill has the votes to pass. Henry, who represents the York Road corridor, said that so far, he has spoken to several of his colleagues that told him they weren’t opposed to the bill, but heard rumors it doesn’t have enough votes to pass. "No one has said 'I’m not going to vote for this and I know seven other [council members] who won’t vote for this,'" Henry said. He attributed the rumors to lobbyists who oppose the tax. Calls seeking comment from Clear Channel, the company that owns the vast majority of the billboards in the city, were not returned. "That’s what lobbyists say when they want to kill something, when …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Councilman Bill Henry believes the tax could result in about $1 million in new revenue for the city.
UPDATED (11:33 PM)—A City Council member who represents North Baltimore is proposing an excise tax on outdoor advertisements such as billboards. The legislation, sponsored by Councilman Bill Henry, would charge $5 per square foot for advertising more than 10 square feet and $15 per square foot for electronic advertising. "We look high and low for revenue in times like these and when we look high we see billboards," Henry said. The legislation was introduced during Monday’s City Council meeting. Henry first introduced similar legislation two years ago. He said the tax would generate about $1 million a year in revenue for the city, based on 2010. When Henry introduced the bill it received a committee hearing but was never moved to the floor…
Tom Kiefaber
11:42 am on Friday, April 26, 2013
"...Councilman Bill Henry has proposed the tax twice before, but it’s the first time the expected revenue from the tax has been included in a proposed budget, indicating Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s support." Mr. Henry, who's never held an actual job that wasn't arranged by our political machine and the Greater Homewood Community Corp, has more taxes on businesses to propose as well. The fact… more ›