The organization will retain the nurserymen name until a new name is agreed upon. The groups have held their annual meetings together for several years and members saw the merger as a way to increase industry interest in programs. The House voted last week to extend a moratorium on Internet taxes until Oct. 2006. The bill would also prevent 10 states that allow access taxes from collecting them after Oct. 2001, when the current ban expires. The bill would not apply directly to state and local sales taxes on Internet purchases.
Internet retailers have the same tax status as catalog sales.
Retailers only collect sales taxes from customers in areas where the companies have a physical presence. The bill now heads to the Senate. The campaign, which begins in August, will be conducted in Philadelphia, Houston, Detroit, Chicago and San Diego. Most markets will see ads in McCall's, Better Homes and Gardens and People.