State & Local
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January 01, 2025
State And Local Tax Policy To Watch In 2025
Responses to the federal government's expected changes to the SALT cap and a continuing push to capture more sales tax revenue from the digital economy are expected to headline state and local tax policy discussions in 2025. Here, Law360 spotlights potential legislative trends to monitor this year.
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December 20, 2024
Banks, Not Credit Cos., Can Duck New Ill. Fee Law For Now
An Illinois federal judge ruled Friday that credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard must comply with Illinois' landmark law restricting certain credit card fees; however, she also held that national banks and federal savings associations aren't subject to the law, at least for now.
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December 20, 2024
Pact Board Fails To OK Remote Seller Back Sales Tax Plan
A voluntary disclosure program proposal that would allow remote sellers to limit their back sales tax liabilities in states that participate in the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement fell one vote shy of receiving approval Friday from the interstate compact's Governing Board.
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December 20, 2024
Tax Pact Board Approves Oral Hygiene Product Definiton
The Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board approved Friday adding a new definition for oral healthcare products to the sales tax compact that it oversees, which will allow its member states to exempt items such as toothpaste and oral irrigators from tax.
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December 20, 2024
NJ Atty Says RICO Case Only Alleges He Acted As Lawyer
New Jersey attorney William Tambussi has slammed the Garden State's response to his bid to toss charges against him in the state's sweeping indictment against power broker George E. Norcross III, claiming it does not show how his routine legal work constitutes a crime.
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December 20, 2024
Mich. Tax Panel's Rubber-Stamp Of Valuation Nixed By Court
A Michigan tax panel "rubber-stamped" a city's $16.5 million valuation of an apartment complex, the state appeals court found, saying questions of fact remained on the city's consideration of the property's purchase price.
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December 20, 2024
NY Settles Unclaimed Gift Card Balance Dispute For $4.4M
A gift card company will pay nearly $4.4 million for helping a retailer wrongly keep unused gift card funds belonging to New York residents, the state attorney general said Friday.
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December 20, 2024
Mich. Duplex Wrongly Added To Site's Tax Value, Court Says
A Michigan municipality should not have boosted the assessment of a property by adding in the value of a third duplex it had erroneously omitted from its tax rolls, the state appeals court said, reversing a state tax panel.
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December 20, 2024
Top State And Local Tax Policies Of 2024
Taxes are often unpopular, but in 2024, voters in a couple of states approved taxes that target those with larger earnings, and one state’s voters embraced using tax policy to combat problems surrounding homelessness. Here, Law360 looks at some notable state and local tax policies of the past year.
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December 19, 2024
Outgoing Wash. Gov. Proposes Wealth Tax In Budget
Washington state would levy a 1% tax on residents with worldwide wealth of more than $100 million and increase taxes on businesses under a budget proposal from outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee.
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December 19, 2024
Fla. Court Won't Dismiss JetBlue Airline Miles Tax Case
JetBlue can proceed with its arguments that the Florida Department of Revenue's method of determining the airline's miles flown in the state violated the U.S. Constitution's commerce and due process clauses, a state court ruled.
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December 19, 2024
La. Remote Seller Entity Eyes Swift Guidance On Tax Changes
The Louisiana Sales and Use Tax Commission for Remote Sellers plans to release guidance soon on sales tax changes that will take effect Jan. 1 under a tax overhaul package the governor recently signed, the agency's executive director said Thursday.
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December 19, 2024
New Jersey Power Broker Says RICO Case Isn't Fit For Jury
Defendants dubbed the "Norcross Enterprise" are fighting back against New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's assertion that their bid to toss a criminal indictment accusing them of engaging in a sprawling racketeering scheme is out of place, claiming the state misunderstands the roles of judge and jury.
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December 19, 2024
Top State And Local Tax Cases Of 2024
From the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear a construction company's case over South Dakota apportionment to the Minnesota Tax Court's ruling on a packing product company's nexus in the state, this has been a busy year for state and local tax cases. Here, Law360 looks at the most influential cases of 2024 and their impact going into the new year.
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December 18, 2024
NY Apportionment Regs OK, Court Finds In Paychex Dispute
The New York state tax agency did not exceed its authority when it adopted a regulation that doesn't permit Paychex to include reimbursements for certain expenses, such as paying employee wages, in its business receipts, a state court found Wednesday, handing a defeat to Paychex.
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December 18, 2024
Court Urged To Reject Arbitration In Walmart Fla. Tax Suit
A class action claiming Walmart unlawfully taxed delivery fees in Florida should not go to arbitration, the shopper bringing the suit told a Florida federal court, opposing Walmart's motion to compel arbitration and dismiss the case.
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December 18, 2024
Justices Limit Wis. Charity Tax Case To 1st Amendment Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court will limit its review of a Wisconsin Catholic charity's appeal of the state's denial of an unemployment tax exemption, the court said in an amended order, agreeing to review the group's First Amendment question.
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December 18, 2024
Fla. Says Gym Dues Paid During Tax Holiday Are Exempt
Gym membership dues paid during a monthlong summer sales tax holiday in Florida are exempt from tax, the state Department of Revenue said, finding that the date of the actual payment is what determines eligibility.
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December 18, 2024
State Tax Revenue Stable In 2024, But Warning Signs Abound
State tax revenues have been stable in 2024 despite continuing tax rate cuts in many states, but some research groups are predicting difficult years ahead as the last of the federal funding from the pandemic runs out.
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December 17, 2024
Fla. Taxpayer Owes Tax On Palladium Purchases, Dept. Says
A Florida taxpayer is liable to pay state sales tax on its purchases of palladium, as palladium is not tax-exempt in the state, the Florida Department of Revenue said in a technical advisement.
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December 17, 2024
NJ To Add Crypto Question To Personal Income Tax Returns
New Jersey plans on updating its personal income tax returns to include a question asking if a taxpayer held or engaged in transactions involving digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, the state Division of Taxation's top official said Tuesday.
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December 17, 2024
NY Tax Chief Sees New Tech Aiding Partnership Audits
The acting commissioner of New York state's tax agency said Tuesday that she's excited about the possibility of harnessing advancements in technology to further scrutinize returns from complex partnerships that are difficult for auditors to digest on their own.
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December 17, 2024
NY Urges Justices To Pass On IBM, Disney Royalty Tax Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court should decline to hear appeals by IBM and Disney that claim New York state's tax treatment of royalties received from foreign affiliates resulted in unconstitutional discrimination against interstate commerce, the state told the court Tuesday.
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December 17, 2024
Mo. Appeals Court Won't Rethink Quash Of County Pot Taxes
The Missouri Court of Appeals said it will not reconsider its ruling that barred counties from levying taxes on cannabis sales within municipalities, rejecting a request by two counties seeking to impose such taxes.
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December 17, 2024
Pa. Supreme Court Says Judge's Side Job Sinks Tax Rulings
A Pennsylvania state judge who held a side job on a Philadelphia tax appeals board had nullified rulings he made on a local hospital's tax cases, the state's Supreme Court said Tuesday, reasoning that holding both jobs was a "constitutionally impermissible conflict of duties."
Expert Analysis
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Revenue Agencies At Their Finest: SALT In Review
From a survey of the nation's best departments of revenue to baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani's creative free-agent contract, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
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Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions
In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.
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A Bold Idea And A Striking Disregard: SALT In Review
From a far-reaching proposal in Nebraska to a Minnesota government agency's disregard of case law, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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5 Traps To Avoid When Selling CRE In Las Vegas Area
When dealing with commercial real estate in Clark County, Nevada — which includes the Las Vegas metro area — even sophisticated sellers may be ensnared by a myriad of tricky issues, ranging from transfer tax nuances to arbitration laws, says Chris Walther at Fennemore Craig.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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'Manufacturing' Amid Mass. Adoption Of Single-Sales Factor
Massachusetts’ recent adoption of single-sales-factor apportionment will benefit companies that have a greater in-state physical presence, reinforce the importance of understanding market-sourcing rules, and reduce the manufacturing classification's importance to tax apportionment, though the classification continues to be significant to other aspects of taxation, say attorneys at McDermott.
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An Unsound Silence: SALT In Review
From the U.S. Supreme Court's silence on an apportionment ruling to the latest assault on streaming services, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.