October 13, 2017
Dear Business Owners, Employees and Advertising Professionals,
We need your help now! Congressional tax writers are discussing the specifics of the tax reform bill – including a possible tax on advertising – this week.
- Virginia Senator Mark Warner is on the Senate Finance Committee, please contact him immediately and urge him to oppose effort to change the tax status of advertising.
- Please contact Senator Kaine and your district house representative and ask that they speak to their colleagues on the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees and urge them to leave advertising alone.
A sample letter is below for your convenience.
Please contact me if you have any questions or would like any supporting materials.
Cindy Shepard Rawlins
Roanoke AAF Government Relations Chair
Contact information:
Virginia Senators:
Warner, Mark R. – (D – VA)
703 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-2023
Contact: https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactPage
Kaine, Tim – (D – VA)
231 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-4024
Contact: www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
Virginia U.S. House of Representatives:
5th District
Thomas Garrett
415 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-4711
Fax: 202-225-5681
https://tomgarrett.house.gov/contact/email
6th District
Bob Goodlatte
2309 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5431
Fax: (202) 225-9681
Other office locations: https://goodlatte.house.gov/contact/officeinformation.htm
Contact:
https://goodlatte.house.gov/contact/
9th District:
Morgan Griffith
2202 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3861
Fax: (202) 225-0076
https://morgangriffith.house.gov/contact/contactform.htm
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
The goal of tax reform is to grow the economy. A tax on advertising – a primary engine of that growth – would undermine that goal and be counter-productive. According to studies designed by a Nobel winning economist a tax on advertising must be opposed because:
- Advertising is the engine of the U.S. economy and generates $5.8 trillion in economic activity
- Advertising supports 20 million American jobs
- Every $1 million spent on advertising supports 67 jobs across American industries
- Every advertising job supports 34 jobs across other industries.
Since the adoption of the tax code in 1913, advertising has been treated as a fully deductible cost of doing business, a drastic change will force business owners to pay much more in taxes and would endanger other essential costs of doing business. No economic rationale has been offered to justify a change in the deduction for advertising costs.
Please speak to your colleagues on the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees and urge them to leave advertising alone.
Thank you,
[insert your name here]