ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland’s highest court has upheld a tax imposed by Baltimore on selling billboard advertising.
The Court of Appeals last week rejected arguments by Clear Channel that the tax violates constitutional provisions that protect freedom of speech.
The appeals court ruled 6-to-1 that the tax ordinance was not subject to heightened scrutiny under the First Amendment because it did not single out the press, target a small group of speakers or discriminate on the basis of the content of speech.
The city taxes the selling of advertising on billboards located on the premises where the goods or services advertised are sold.
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