On January 15, a city-wide tax imposed upon freelance authors in Charlottesville was declared unconstitutional by the 16th Judicial Circuit of Virginia.
This. writers tax was initially intended to defray the infrastructure costs of local brick and mortar businesses. In practice, however, it also targeted writers and composers, including freelance authors who worked from their own homes. Furthermore, newspapers and other print media companies were excluded from this tax. And so, two local authors, along with the Institute for Justice, brought the case to court, arguing that the tax legislation was a violation of the First Amendment.
"Today’s decision mandates that Charlottesville’s creative class will no longer be subjected to an arbitrary, unconstitutional tax," stated attorney Keith Neely.
Learn more about the writers tax
