Washington, D.C. – Today, Internet for Growth, a nationwide coalition of small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs depending on digital advertising, announced their opposition to the digital advertising tax proposed in Nebraska’s Legislative Bill 1.
In a letter to Nebraska lawmakers, Internet for Growth’s Executive Director Brendan Thomas writes, “We urge you to oppose a digital advertising tax in Nebraska that would raise costs for small businesses and increase prices for every product and service that depends on digital advertising to reach customers.”
Internet for Growth represents over 2,000 small businesses across the U.S. The coalition emerged in 2022 in response to anti-advertising legislation and regulation appearing in state capitals and Washington, D.C. Members educate policymakers, the press, and public about digital advertising’s benefits to innovation, jobs and economic growth on Main Street.
A 7.5% digital advertising tax would have a significant impact on Nebraskans. Representing almost 99% of all businesses in the state, many small businesses would struggle to compete with big companies able to afford price hikes and expensive traditional advertising. According to Nebraska’s Platte Institute, ““This spiral of taxation… swells the cost of goods and services in a way that you cannot see transparently. This results in unseen taxation through higher prices for goods and services.”
Digital advertising on search, social media, streaming and other platforms helps small businesses reach customers efficiently and effectively, enabling them to grow and hire. Research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) shows that digital advertising supports thousands of jobs in Nebraska, directly or indirectly.
To view Internet for Growth’s letter to Nebraska lawmakers click here.
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Internet for Growth promotes the transformative role the advertising-supported internet plays in empowering America’s small businesses, helping entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. Supported by a diverse community of over 700 IAB members including marketers, agencies, publishers, platforms, and ad tech providers, as well as hundreds of small businesses and creators, we highlight the benefits digital advertising delivers to local economies, expanding opportunities for innovators to reach markets far beyond their neighborhoods. Our work ensures people understand the limitless opportunity the internet provides for creativity and commerce, fair competition, and connecting with consumers on mutually shared values and interests, no matter their background or geography.