State & Local
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August 09, 2024
The Long Road To Legalizing Pot In Florida And South Dakota
Voters in Florida and South Dakota will have the opportunity this Election Day to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over, and while the two efforts vary in their particulars, they both follow years of work by legalizers to craft a proposal that could gain court approval.
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August 09, 2024
3 Ways AI Tools Are Starting To Affect SALT Practices
The rise of artificial intelligence platforms is beginning to pose questions about how states may seek to tax their usage and how tax practitioners can harness generative AI's capabilities to streamline their work while being mindful of ethical obligations. Here, Law360 spotlights three areas where AI is starting to affect the state and local tax field.
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August 09, 2024
Mo. Owes $1.5M Tax Refund To AT&T Entity, Co. Says
AT&T should be granted a $1.53 million refund of erroneously paid Missouri sales tax on exempt goods and services, the company told the state Administrative Hearing Commission.
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August 09, 2024
Ind. Orthodontist Wrongly Taxed On Retainer Purchases
An Indiana-based orthodontist office was wrongly assessed sales tax on purchases of retainers because they qualify for a resale exemption, the state Department of Revenue said.
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August 09, 2024
Ind. Garden Supply Co. Wrongly Taxed On Out-Of-State Sales
An Indiana-based business that sells flowers and garden supplies to customers in other states was wrongly assessed sales tax on transactions through its website, the state Department of Revenue said.
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August 09, 2024
IRS Direct File To Be Offered In Connecticut Next Year
The Internal Revenue Service's free electronic tax filing program known as Direct File will be available in Connecticut for the 2025 tax filing season, the agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Friday.
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August 09, 2024
Ind. Couple Wrongly Taxed On Ky. Income, Dept. Says
An Indiana couple were wrongly assessed individual income tax on money earned in Kentucky, the Indiana Department of Revenue said.
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August 09, 2024
Mich. Court Says Tax Cap Voided By Law Firm's New Roof
A new roof installed on the office of a Michigan law firm was an addition to the property, allowing its taxable value to increase beyond a statutory cap, the state Court of Appeals ruled, upholding a state tax tribunal finding.
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August 09, 2024
What Books Tax Pros Recommend For This Summer
As practitioners monitor the tax implications of the U.S. presidential election as well as what might come out of the next European Commission, they may want to take a break with a good book. Here, Law360 takes a look at tax specialists' summer reading recommendations.
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August 09, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Latham, Freshfields, Wachtell
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Quantum Capital Group agrees to a roughly $3 billion deal for Cogentrix Energy, Apax Partners LLP is acquiring Thoughtworks for roughly $1.75 billion, and Mallinckrodt inks a $925 million deal for Therakos.
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August 08, 2024
Meta Tells Court Md. Digital Ad Tax Unlawfully Discriminates
Maryland's tax on digital advertising unlawfully discriminates against electronic commerce and violates the commerce clause and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Meta told the Maryland Tax Court during oral arguments Thursday in one of several related cases pending before the court.
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August 08, 2024
Dish, DirecTV Say New Laws Show Mo. Fees Never Applied
Two Missouri bills signed into law last month were meant to clarify that streaming and satellite TV services were always exempt from video service provider fees, not change the law to newly exempt the services, Dish and DirecTV told a Missouri court.
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August 08, 2024
No Rebate Estimate For Ore. Biz Tax Measure, Panel Says
An explanatory statement on an Oregon ballot measure to impose a new minimum corporate tax and provide payouts to state residents will not include an estimate of those rebate amounts, a state elections panel said.
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August 08, 2024
Utah Justices Refuse Tax Break For Sports Lab
A Utah sports medicine lab does not use its facilities exclusively for charitable purposes and therefore is not eligible for a property tax exemption, the state Supreme Court said Thursday, upholding a Utah Tax Commission decision.
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August 08, 2024
Ind. Co.'s Out-Of-State Trailer Sale Not Taxable
An Indiana company that sold a trailer to a Florida resident who then registered the trailer in Michigan didn't owe sales tax on the transaction, the Indiana Department of Revenue said.
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August 08, 2024
Nixon Peabody Hires Community Development Counsel In DC
When Steven Feenstra, the newest member of Nixon Peabody LLP's the community development finance practice, visited a client's office some 25 years ago, the photos of the community housing projects the client had helped develop made a lasting impression on him, he told Law360 Pulse in an interview Thursday.
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August 08, 2024
Ind. Company Wrongly Denied Carryover Of Tax Credits
An Indiana company was wrongly assessed additional corporate income tax, the state Department of Revenue said, adding that it had excess tax credits it could use to reduce its 2019 liability.
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August 08, 2024
Ind. Building Co. Can't Get Research Tax Credits, Dept. Says
An Indiana construction company was correctly assessed additional corporate income tax because it failed to establish that it qualified for claimed research expense credits, the state Department of Revenue said.
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August 08, 2024
Ohio Board OKs Valuing Residence At Private Sale Price
An Ohio home was overassessed, the state's tax appeals board said, finding that the property's recent sale was an arm's-length transaction and should be considered when valuing it.
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August 07, 2024
NJ Tax Agency Seeks Required Bids For Transfer Pricing Aide
New Jersey is seeking bids to contract with a transfer pricing specialist because the state's agreement with a prominent economist who helped draft the federal government's transfer pricing rules can't be renewed without a competitive process, a state tax agency representative told Law360 on Wednesday.
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August 07, 2024
Minn. Delays Tax Deadlines For Those Hit By Storms
Minnesota will give people and businesses in 19 counties hit by recent storms and flooding extra time to file and pay their state taxes, the Minnesota Department of Revenue said Wednesday.
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August 07, 2024
Office Buildings Reign Supreme In Terms Of NYC Tax Revenue
According to a Wednesday report from New York state's fiscal watchdog, ongoing woes in the office sector aren't going to punch a hole in the budget for New York City — which can expect to continue to receive an "outsized" proportion of its tax revenue from office buildings.
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August 07, 2024
Tax Holidays Not Cure For Regressive Tax, Think Tank Warns
Sales tax holidays are expensive and do more harm than good, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said, instead advocating for tax policies that provide permanent relief to low- and middle-income taxpayers.
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August 07, 2024
Minn. Justices Affirm Wis. Biz Had Enough Contacts For Tax
A Wisconsin distributor of industrial and packing products had enough contacts with Minnesota to be liable for its corporate franchise tax, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, affirming a tax court decision.
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August 07, 2024
Tax Court's Economic Substance Foray May Clarify Limits
A U.S. Tax Court judge plans to address an ill-defined provision governing the relevance of the economic substance doctrine in a microcaptive insurance case, offering the courts another chance to clarify an anti-abuse tool the IRS has been deploying more often.
Expert Analysis
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Budget Focus Cools Tax Reform Efforts
There were some noteworthy tax developments during Kentucky’s legislative session — like the revival of local tax reform and enactment of another tax amnesty program — but major tax initiatives, like those seen in recent years, were largely tabled as legislators focused on establishing the state’s two-year budget, say attorneys at Frost Brown.
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NY Tax Talk: Primary Function Is Key Analysis For Sales Tax
Two sales tax cases recently decided by New York's Appellate Division illustrate why both taxpayers and the state's Department of Revenue subscribe to the primary function test, a logical way to determine whether business transactions are subject to sales tax, say Elizabeth Cha and Jeremy Gove at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Strange Notions Bubble Up: SALT In Review
From an assault on North Carolina's phaseout of its corporate income tax to a court ruling on the taxability of sparkling water in Pennsylvania, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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Consider 2 Alternative Exit Plans In RE Distress Scenarios
In the face of an impending wave of foreclosures, lenders and borrowers alike should consider two exit strategies — deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and consent foreclosure — that can mitigate potential costs and diminution in property value that could be incurred during a lengthy proceeding, say attorneys at BCLP.
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SC's Courts Have It Wrong On Amazon Marketplace Sales Tax
The South Carolina Supreme Court should step in and correct the misguided change in tax law effectuated by lower court rulings that found Amazon owes state sales tax for marketplace sales made prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wayfair v. South Dakota decision in 2018, says Hayes Holderness at the University of Richmond.
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Constitutional Shenanigans And Other Sports: SALT In Review
From a challenge to New York's end run on a federal law to voters' rejection of a sales tax that would aid Kansas City's major league teams, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.