Netflix, Hulu Can t Hide Behind Internet Tax Freedom Act in Missouri Fee Fight
Courtesy of networks (Logos)
As streamers face an escalating battle with American cities over local utility fees, one judge issues a first-of-its-kind ruling as another judge hears First Amendment arguments over the digital transmission of Queen s Gambit and Cobra Kai.
If 2020 became the year that American cities, burdened by a health pandemic and desperate to find new revenue, declared war on Netflix and other streamers, the year ended with a potentially important court ruling that suggests that the fight won t be an easy one for streaming services looking to avoid local taxation. In two separate orders, a Missouri judge ruled that townships in her state had alleged facts sufficient to support allegations that Netflix, Hulu and DirecTV were covered by Missouri s Video Services Providers Act and that these defendants couldn t avoid utility fees by holding up the Internet Tax Freedom Act.