NASCAR: NASCAR wins court case about broadcast taxes

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state’s attempt to tax NASCAR for broadcasting its races in Ohio was unlawful.

At issue before the court was whether the state tax commissioner properly subjected those broadcasts to Ohio’s commercial activities tax during an audit from 2005 to 2010. The tax requires payments on a company’s annual sales.

The court ruled that the Daytona Beach, Florida-based NASCAR’s broadcast revenue, licensing revenue, media revenue and sponsorship fees were wrongly subjected to the tax. A group of three justices on the 7-member court dissented over licensing fees.

The state had argued that it imposed the tax based on NASCAR’s commercial activity, including the organization’s sale of Ohio broadcast rights. Tuesday’s ruling reverses a Board of Tax Appeals ruling in its favor and sends the organization’s disputed tax bill — which totaled $529,520 — back to the panel to be readjusted.

NASCAR maintained that its commercial activities in Ohio such as broadcasting races and selling merchandise are done by other companies — Fox Broadcasting Co., for example — which are taxed accordingly.  Associated Press