DirecTV and EchoStar filed a lawsuit against N.C.’s Dept. of Reve...

DirecTV and EchoStar filed a lawsuit against N.C.’s Dept. of Revenue in the Superior Court for Wake County challenging the state’s 5% sales tax levied on satellite customers and not cable customers, they said. The suit follows a required 90-day period allowing the Dept. to consider a refund request by the companies (CD July 1 p10). The companies challenged the constitutionality of the tax under the commerce clause, “which prohibits state taxes that discriminate against interstate commerce, or are not fairly related to the services provided to the taxpayer.”