Big Tech lobbying groups sue Maryland to stop country's first digital advertising tax

Just days after Maryland became the first state in the country to impose a tax on digital advertising targeting Big Tech, lobbying groups representing companies including Amazon, Facebook, Google are trying to stop it.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the groups allege that the state law is "deeply flawed" as well as "unlawful" and "unconstitutional." They also allege that it serves to discriminate against interstate commerce and interferes with foreign affairs, citing the federal government's prior opposition to countries imposing taxes on US digital platforms. The lawsuit, filed in a Maryland federal district court, is being brought by several lobbying groups including the US Chamber of Commerce and the Internet Association, the latter of which was founded by Google, Amazon, eBay, and Facebook.