Article: A Belated but Mighty Lobbying Effort Against the New Computer Services Tax

Thomas C. Carpe, a 33-year-old information technology contractor with a ponytail, was among several dozen strangers to Annapolis who temporarily took over the foyer of a Senate committee room yesterday as lawmakers convened for a long afternoon of unrelated hearings.

The intended message was simple: The computer services industry might have been "asleep at the switch," as Carpe put it, when the legislature passed a tax on computer services during its special session in the fall. But this session, the propeller heads are paying attention -- and in large numbers -- as lawmakers consider repealing the tax.

"I hear this kind of turnout is not typical," Carpe told a reporter. "This is my ...