Webinar
We were honored to have U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (UT) join us to discuss new federal tax benefits for individuals and businesses. Moore serves on the House Ways & Means Committee and helped write the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. You can watch the webinar and access the presentation through the OAAA website.
State Associations
We held our second annual National Conference of State Associations in Washington, DC. State association and member company executives from 18 states gathered to review association best practices, discuss state legislative initiatives, and strategize on common industry issues. The group scheduled advocacy visits with Members of Congress, and we had a group meeting with program officials at the Federal Highway Administration. Thank you to all who attended and supported the event!
Tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling on a case challenging the Trump Administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad global tariffs. In their 6-3 decision, the Court held that the Administration exceeded its authority in relying on IEEPA as a rationale for their tariff actions. The use of IEEPA allowed the Administration to act quickly and without constraint regarding product categories and tariff amounts.
In pursuing and implementing future tariff policies, the Administration will need to work directly through Congress or rely on other sections of trade law where Congress has already granted limited authority to the executive branch. The Court ruling did not address the $170B+ global tariff import duties already collected by the federal government over the past year. In a subsequent case before the U.S. Court of International Trade, their ruling for a Tennessee importer might pave the way for broader tariff refunds.
Drug Ads
As part of a national coalition of advertising interests, we signed a letter to Maryland legislators expressing opposition to a bill that would limit the tax deductibility of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. The letter was signed by 17 organizations, including OAAA, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s). To single out and restrict one category of advertising undermines and unfairly changes deeply established national and state tax policy.
Political Advertising
The U.S. Senate primary election in Texas is now the highest ever for political advertising. Just prior to their March 3 primary, political ad spending surpassed $110.5M, with 70% of that coming from outside groups. Texas tops the previous record of $109.5M, set in the 2022 Arizona U.S. Senate race.
Ad Tax
The Utah state legislature passed a digital online advertising tax, sending the bill to their Governor for possible enactment. The legislation, modeled after Maryland’s digital online ad tax, imposes a 4.7% tax on companies generating digital ad revenue of over $100M globally and $1M or more from advertising in Utah. The MD tax is still being litigated five years after its passage, and the new Utah tax will likely face similar legal challenges.
Published: March 20, 2026