State & Local

  • August 26, 2024

    Mo. Circle K Station's $1.2M Value Upheld

    A Circle K gas station in Missouri was correctly assessed, despite the property owner's protest, because the owner failed to provide comparable properties to prove the value should be reduced, the state's tax commission ruled.

  • August 26, 2024

    Va. Tax Boss Says Refund Owed For Product-Testing Gear

    A Virginia manufacturer is eligible for a sales tax exemption for equipment used for product testing because the property was used during the company's manufacturing process, the Virginia tax commissioner said, reversing a decision by the state's tax department.

  • August 23, 2024

    Wash. Justices Affirm Convicted Ex-State Auditor Disbarment

    The Washington Supreme Court affirmed a recommendation to disbar convicted former state auditor Troy X. Kelley after he was imprisoned on felony theft charges, finding that Kelley's crimes justified the disbarment sanction.

  • August 23, 2024

    Local Assessors Blast Colo. Property Tax Proposal

    A draft bill to reduce property tax increases, to be introduced in Colorado's upcoming special legislative session, would create significant burdens for local administration, a pair of assessors told a legislative property tax commission Friday.

  • August 23, 2024

    Mich. Appeals Panel Denies Cos.' Bids To Adjust Asset Basis

    Two companies may not account for depreciation they didn't receive credit for under Michigan law to increase the basis of assets they sold when determining their state tax liabilities, a state appeals panel said, upholding a trial court.

  • August 23, 2024

    Colo. Board Wrong In Nixing Fees From Valuation, Court Rules

    The Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals improperly applied a state Supreme Court decision that erroneously revived a dispute over whether fees should be included in a resort's property valuation, a state appeals court ruled.

  • August 23, 2024

    Wis. Agency Upholds $4M Sales Tax Bill On Lease Payments

    The Wisconsin Department of Revenue didn't err in finding that a company's lease agreements were taxable as they constituted a sale and lease-back of tangible property, the state Tax Appeals Commission ruled, upholding a nearly $4 million sales tax bill.

  • August 23, 2024

    Issues Lurk In Remote Seller, Marketplace Laws, Tax Pro Says

    States should consider more harmony in their remote seller and marketplace facilitator laws to address a handful of compliance issues that continue to persist for businesses six years after Wayfair, a tax practitioner said Friday.

  • August 23, 2024

    NM General Revenues From July Through March Up $421M

    New Mexico collected $421 million more in revenue than estimated between July 2023 and March 2024, according to a report by the state's Legislative Finance Committee.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ariz. Revenue Collection Starts 2025 Up $83M From Forecast

    Arizona's total general revenue in July was $83 million higher than forecast, according to a report by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

  • August 23, 2024

    Idaho's July Revenue Collection Down $5M From Estimates

    Idaho's general revenue collection at the start of the 2025 fiscal year was $5 million below forecasts, according to a report by the state Division of Financial Management.

  • August 23, 2024

    DC Eyes Joining IRS Direct File For 2026, Revenue Rep Says

    The District of Columbia is considering joining the Internal Revenue Service's free electronic tax filing program, Direct File, in 2026, a representative of the district's tax agency said Friday.

  • August 23, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Latham, Wachtell, Paul Weiss

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Arch Resources merges with Consol Energy in a deal worth $5.2 billion, Advanced Micro Devices agrees to purchase ZT Systems for $4.9 billion, and Japanese tobacco company JT Group inks a deal to buy Vector Group for $2.4 billion.

  • August 22, 2024

    Chevron's Fall Likely To Surface In State Tax Cases, Pro Says

    Taxpayers likely will raise the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron deference doctrine in challenges to state tax regulations, but it remains to be seen how effective those arguments will be, an attorney for a multistate business trade organization said Thursday.

  • August 22, 2024

    Justices Disfavor External Consistency Test, Mass. Atty Says

    The U.S. Supreme Court likely will decline to hear a construction company's argument that South Dakota's refusal to apportion use tax on its equipment was unconstitutional, a Massachusetts tax agency attorney predicted Thursday, saying the justices have no appetite for applying the external consistency test anymore.

  • August 22, 2024

    StubHub Appeals $8.5M Wis. Sales Tax Assessment

    Online ticket marketplace StubHub told the Wisconsin Court of Appeals that a lower court correctly determined it wasn't on the hook for an $8.5 million sales tax assessment because it didn't directly act as a ticket seller.

  • August 22, 2024

    NY Court Revives Co.'s Back Tax Payment Allocation Claim

    The New York Division of Tax Appeals has the jurisdiction to hear a Bronx-based business's protest over how its tax payments were allocated, a state appeals court ruled. 

  • August 22, 2024

    Ill. Exempts Certain Home-Delivered Meals From Taxes

    Purchases of certain home-delivered meals for older and lower-income residents are exempt from an array of state taxes, the Illinois Department of Revenue said.

  • August 22, 2024

    Local Property Tax Exemptions A Must For Solar, Va. AG Says

    Localities are required under state statute to provide an exemption for the taxation of property used for solar photovoltaic systems, or systems that use solar panels to create energy, the Virginia attorney general said in an opinion.

  • August 22, 2024

    NY AG Tells Appeals Court To Uphold $465M Trump Judgment

    Donald Trump has barely challenged the extensive proof of financial statement lies undergirding a $465 million civil fraud judgment against him and his co-defendants, New York's attorney general said in an appeals brief looking to preserve the bench verdict.

  • August 22, 2024

    Mass. Tax Panel OKs $14M In Research Credits For Bank Co.

    A Massachusetts bank holding company is entitled to nearly $14 million in research tax credits because state law does not restrict such corporations from receiving the credit, the state Appellate Tax Board said, reversing the state tax department.

  • August 22, 2024

    Miss. Justices Asked To Uphold Tax On Biz's Fireworks Sales

    A Mississippi company's sales of fireworks and Christmas trees weren't yard sales exempt from sales tax as they were held frequently and consistently, the Mississippi Department of Revenue told the state Supreme Court, adding that a lower correctly found that the company's sales are taxable.

  • August 22, 2024

    Ohio Board Upholds Partial Valuation Of Old Coal Plant

    A decommissioned coal plant had two of its parcels properly valued by an Ohio county, but one additional parcel should have its valuation reduced because the structure built on it added no value, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals ruled.

  • August 22, 2024

    Ore. Tax Court Won't Allow Expense Shift To Previous Year

    An Oregon business owner's attempt to assign advertising costs to a previous tax year was correctly denied, the state's tax court said, while it allowed a partial deduction for expenses related to home offices.

  • August 21, 2024

    Tech Cos. Duck Proposed Calif. Bill Via News Funding Deal

    Major tech companies, including Google, agreed Wednesday to pay roughly $250 million into a fund that proponents say would support newsrooms across California in a deal that avoids a proposed regulation that would've forced Big Tech to pay the state's media organizations for distributing news content.

Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

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    Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.

  • Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial

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    Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.

  • Potential Calamities, Greatly Exaggerated: SALT In Review

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    From fears of judicial upheaval to a tax break for space travel, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times

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    As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Preparing Your Legal Department For Pillar 2 Compliance

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    Multinational entities should familiarize themselves with Pillar Two of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPs 2.0 project and prepare their internal legal tracking systems for related reporting requirements that may go into effect as early as January, says Daniel Robyn at Ernst & Young.

  • What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

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    Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Another Ark. Tax Cut And Chicago Transit: SALT In Review

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    From yet another income tax cut in Arkansas to proposed extra funding for Chicago transit, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

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    Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Kentucky Tax Talk: Taking Up The Dormant Commerce Clause

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    Attorneys at Frost Brown examine whether the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to review Foresight Coal Sales v. Kent Chandler to consider whether a Kentucky utility rate law discriminates against interstate commerce, and how the decision may affect dormant commerce clause jurisprudence.

  • TCJA Workarounds And A Misstep In Va.: SALT In Review

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    From federal SALT deduction workarounds to Virginia's missed opportunity, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • How Taxpayers Can Prep As Justices Weigh Repatriation Tax

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    The U.S. Supreme Court might strike down the 2017 federal tax overhaul's corporate repatriation tax in Moore v. U.S., so taxpayers should file protective tax refund claims before the case is decided and repatriate previously taxed earnings that could become entangled in dubious potential Section 965 refunds, say Jenny Austin and Gary Wilcox at Mayer Brown.

  • Digital Services And Asphalt Production: SALT In Review

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    From Massachusetts' proposed gross receipts tax on digital providers to a dispute over equipment used to make asphalt in North Carolina, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

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