On August 15, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that a Maryland statutory provision prohibiting sellers from itemizing the digital advertising tax (DAT) on their invoices violates the First Amendment. As readers are likely aware, the DAT is imposed on gross revenues from digital advertising services in Maryland. After
Maryland
Maryland Comptroller issues Digital Ad Tax Bulletin (3.5 years late)
Yesterday, the Comptroller of Maryland issued Technical Bulletin No. 59, laying out its position on the Digital Advertising Gross Revenues (ominously abbreviated as “DAGR”) tax base. As the DAGR took effect in January 2022, this guidance is not exactly timely.
Much of Bulletin No. 59 is devoted to the Comptroller’s view of taxability. A…
Maryland seriously considers sweeping tax expansion, including taxing media rights and “other intellectual property”
Maryland is facing a $3 billion budget gap and is considering a host of tax hikes. On March 24, 2025, the Maryland House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations amended the state’s budget bill, House Bill 352 (cross-filed with Senate Bill 321) to include, among other things, a proposal to expand the sales and use tax…
Shifting sands: Interest payments at issue in the latest installment of Maryland’s Wynne litigation
In a recent unreported decision, the Maryland Appellate Court held that taxpayers were not entitled to a 13 percent interest rate on a judgement after the legislature lowered the state’s refund interest rate during the pendency of the taxpayers’ appeal.
The taxpayers successfully challenged the limits that Maryland state law placed on the tax credit…
A rose by any other name – Maryland to rename appellate courts
On November 8, 2022, Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment to change the names of Maryland’s appellate courts from the Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court of Maryland and from the Court of Special Appeals to the Appellate Court of Maryland. New York is now the only state to designate its highest court as…
Maryland court says insurer’s non-premium receipts exempt from income tax
The Maryland Court of Special Appeals affirmed the tax court’s decision that a Macy’s captive insurance company is exempt from Maryland corporate income taxes on interest payments received from a Macy’s affiliate. Maryland imposes a premium receipts tax on unauthorized insurance companies, which includes the taxpayer captive insurer in this case. The taxpayer captive insurer…
Pro tip: Maryland limits sales taxation of certain digital products
On July 1, 2022, the Maryland Comptroller of the Treasury revised its Business Tax Tip #29, to acknowledge the exclusion of certain business purchases of digital products. In addition, the revised guidance clarifies the taxability of data processing, information, web hosting, and digital advertising services. This is the Comptroller’s third set of revisions to…
Maryland alters statutory definition of “digital product”
Maryland H.B. 791 clarifies that the definition of “digital product” for sales and use tax purposes does not include certain digital inputs or enterprise software. Specifically, H.B. 791 excludes from taxable digital products the following: (i) products having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities where the purchaser has a copyright or similar…
No Maryland sales and use tax exemption for for-profit company’s purchases made for non-profit hospitals
The Maryland Court of Appeals held that a for-profit company’s purchases for non-profit hospitals were subject to Maryland’s sales and use tax because there was no agency relationship between the company and the hospitals, and even if an agency relationship existed, that alone would not entitle the for-profit company to an exemption.
Johns Hopkins Health…
Maryland digital advertising tax payment deadline extended to April 18th
The Comptroller has informed us that the due date for the first quarterly estimated digital advertising tax payment is extended to Monday, April 18th. The deadline for taxpayers to make this first payment would otherwise have been April 15, 2022. We are not aware of the Maryland Comptroller’s office otherwise publicizing this extension. Taxpayers…



