Billboard Tax Lacks Support of Texas Lawmakers

The specter of a Texas sales tax on outdoor advertising seems unlikely to materialize following the introduction of the proposed measure in a state legislature committee meeting last week.

An informal poll by the bill’s sponsor, state representative Debra Danburg, D-Houston, revealed the proposal does not come close to having enough votes to reach the Texas House of Representatives, her spokesperson said.

Nevertheless, the threat of potential taxation caused a letter and e-mail writing campaign last week among members of the advertising community, both locally and nationally.

“We are obviously very much opposed to a tax on any type of advertising,” said Clark Rector, vice president of state government af-fairs at the American Advertising Federation.