State & Local
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July 26, 2024
Biz Groups Call Corp. Transparency Act Unconstitutional
The U.S. government has failed to show how the Corporate Transparency Act meets narrow exceptions to the Fourth Amendment's search warrant requirements, a group of small businesses told a Michigan federal court Friday in contending that the statute is unconstitutional.
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July 26, 2024
The Tax Angle: TCJA Prep, IRS Phone Problems
From a look at Democrats' preparation to rewrite the 2017 GOP tax law to the Internal Revenue Service's continuing problems with providing customer service to tax professionals, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.
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July 26, 2024
Ind. Tax Court Says Tax Cap Acre Limitation Unconstitutional
The Indiana Constitution doesn't permit a fixed 1-acre limitation on land eligible for the state's 1% property tax cap, the state tax court said, siding with a couple who argued their entire property qualified for the cap.
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July 26, 2024
Uber Accused Of Illegally Charging Tax On Delivery Fees
Uber illegally collects sales tax on food delivery fees in Florida, a customer claimed in a proposed class action removed to federal court, saying the company cannot charge the tax if customers have the option of picking up the order themselves.
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July 26, 2024
Ohio McDonald's Properly Valued At $1.9M, Board Says
An Ohio McDonald's was properly valued at $1.9 million by the county appraiser, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled Friday, rejecting the business's bid to have the value lowered to $1.18 million.
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July 26, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Wachtell, Polsinelli, Kirkland
In this week's Taxation With Representation, T-Mobile partners with KKR to acquire Metronet, Exclusive Networks gets a takeover offer, KKR buys Instructure Holdings Inc., and Bally's Corp. merges with The Queen Casino & Entertainment Inc.
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July 26, 2024
Ariz. Revenues In Fiscal Year 2024 Up $563M From Forecast
Arizona's general revenue collection in the 2024 fiscal year was $563 million higher than estimated, according to the state Joint Budget Committee.
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July 26, 2024
SC Tax Applies To Durable Med Equipment Sales, Dept. Says
Sales of durable medical equipment in South Carolina are subject to sales tax, which must be collected and remitted on sales completed after June 26, following a state Supreme Court ruling that found an exemption for such sales to be invalid, the state Department of Revenue said.
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July 25, 2024
Trump Judge Won't Exit Over 'Nothingburger' Atty Encounter
The New York judge who ordered Donald Trump to pay $465 million in penalties in his civil fraud case Thursday rejected the former president's demand that he step down from the case, saying a brief hallway encounter with an attorney acquaintance was a "nothingburger" that did not influence his decision.
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July 25, 2024
Conn.'s Added Tax On Warranties Called Double Taxation
The Connecticut state tax commissioner's levy of an additional tax on extended vehicle warranties connected to out-of-state vehicle sales is double taxation because the warranties are already taxed by the buyer's home state, a Connecticut-based auto wholesaler told a state trial court.
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July 25, 2024
Louisiana Lawmakers Hit Brakes On Tax Overhaul Proposals
Louisiana's legislative leadership said Thursday that it won't move forward with a special session to overhaul the state's tax system in the near future, rebuffing a push from the governor to place sweeping changes to the state's tax structure on the November ballot.
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July 25, 2024
NJ To Provide Up To $500M In Tax Credits For AI Projects
New Jersey will provide up to $500 million in tax credits to artificial intelligence businesses that make a capital investment of at least $100 million and create at least 100 full-time jobs under a bill Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed Thursday.
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July 25, 2024
Ohio Board Incorrectly Calculated Land, Improvement Value
An Ohio warehouse property had its land value incorrectly increased to $1.2 million, from $715,000, a state appeals court ruled Thursday after finding no evidence was presented that warranted a change in its value.
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July 25, 2024
Pa. Dept. Urged To Review Concerns Over Biz Income Rule
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue should review stakeholders' critiques of a proposed regulation that outlines what constitutes apportionable business income and meet with aggrieved stakeholders to ensure the regulation is consistent with state tax law, an independent commission said.
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July 25, 2024
Neb. Bill Resurrects Digital Ad Tax Plan In Special Session
Nebraska lawmakers, calling for property tax relief in a special legislative session, resubmitted Thursday a proposal to fund property tax cuts with a tax on gross receipts from digital advertising services and by broadening the state's sales tax regime.
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July 25, 2024
NJ Justices Affirm Verizon's Local Tax Bill On Equipment
A Verizon entity must pay personal property tax on equipment at a switching station in a New Jersey borough, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday, upholding lower court rulings that agreed with the town's application of a law outlining when telephone companies are subject to tax.
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July 25, 2024
NY Beverage Co.'s Tax Permit Properly Pulled, Court Says
New York's tax agency was within its authority to revoke the license of a $100 million wholesale beverage distributor for willfully failing to file required information about its customers, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.
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July 25, 2024
Clark Hill Adds Tax And Estate Atty From Plunk Smith In Texas
A former Plunk Smith PLLC senior associate jumped to Clark Hill in Collin County, Texas, to serve as a member in the tax and estate planning practice, the firm announced Thursday.
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July 25, 2024
NJ Town's Challenge To County Tax Table Can Proceed
A New Jersey town may continue challenging a county's 2024 equalization table, the New Jersey Tax Court ruled, rejecting the county's argument that the town waited too long to make the challenge.
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July 25, 2024
Ohio Church Too Late For Retroactive Tax Refund, Board Says
An Ohio church cannot be refunded for a retroactive property tax exemption for 2014 through 2016 because the state tax commissioner only has the authority to issue refunds for up to three years, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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July 25, 2024
Ore. Court Won't Toss Law Capping Taxable Home Values
A homeowner's attempt to lower the taxable value of his property was denied by the Oregon Tax Court, which said it did not have the authority to determine whether a law capping annual taxable value increases for some properties was unconstitutional.
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July 24, 2024
Pfizer's Fuel Cells Can't Be Taxed, Conn. Justices Rule
A fuel cell module that powers Pfizer Inc.'s research campus in Groton, Connecticut, is not subject to personal property taxes, the state's high court ruled Wednesday, upholding a lower court decision that allowed FuelCell Inc. to avoid several multimillion-dollar local tax assessments and penalties.
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July 24, 2024
Mich. Tribunal Upholds $4.4M Value For Car Wash
A Michigan car wash was correctly valued at $4.4 million, the state Tax Tribunal said after rejecting the property owner's argument that the value should be reduced due to functional obsolescence.
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July 24, 2024
Book Publisher Settles Gross Receipts Tax Dispute With Ohio
Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing LLC settled its appeal of a nearly $143,000 Ohio commercial activity tax assessment, ending a case in which it alleged that a federal law that limits state taxes on net income protected certain gross receipts from tax.
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July 24, 2024
Ohio Chicken Farm Ruled Overvalued By County
An Ohio chicken farm was overvalued by the local tax board, the state board of tax appeals said, after taking into consideration an appraisal by the owner that valued the property based on its special use as a hatchery.
Expert Analysis
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The Forces Defining Sales Tax Policy And Compliance In 2023
In the coming year, expect to see tax policymakers grapple with the complexity of state and local tax compliance, cryptocurrency, metaverse transactions, and more, says Scott Peterson at Avalara.
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Start The Revolution Without Me: SALT In Review
From a sweeping push toward taxing the rich to a proposed tax review board in Indiana, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Atty-Client Privilege Arguments Give Justices A Moving Target
Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case regarding the scope of the attorney-client privilege appeared to raise more questions about multipurpose counsel communications than they answered, as the parties presented shifting iterations of a predictable, easily applied test for evaluating the communications' purpose, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.
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States Must Align Distribution Age Rules With Secure 2.0
To prevent unintended escheatment of retirement benefits, states will need to undertake legislative efforts to amend unclaimed property standards that conflict with the Secure 2.0 Act's required minimum distribution age increases, says Michael Giovannini at Alston & Bird.
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Va. Tax Nixed, NJ Shoplifter Targeted: SALT In Review
From a tax declared unconstitutional in Virginia to a New Jersey prosecutor's attempt to include sales tax in a shoplifting charge, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Midterm Cannabis Results Remind That Progress Is Not Linear
It may appear odd that the majority of state proposals for adult-use cannabis failed in November’s midterm elections when legalization is polling at an all-time high, but history moves in fits and starts, and there are clearly still some blind spots and hidden variables affecting voter perceptions, say Whitt Steineker and Mason Kruse at Bradley Arant.
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Wash. B&O Tax Proposal Is A Step In The Right Direction
The Washington Tax Structure Work Group’s proposal to swap the state’s problematic business and occupation tax for a Texas-style margins tax is far from a perfect solution, but it has opened the door for a long-overdue conversation about B&O tax changes that would provide much-needed administrative relief, says Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig.
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This Year's Top 10 Developments In State And Local Tax
Attorneys at Grant Thornton rank the 10 biggest state and local tax issues of 2022, including the adoption of state pass-through entity taxes, Maryland's digital advertising tax and American Rescue Plan Act litigation.
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What To Expect In 2023: SALT In Review
Starting with predictions for the coming year, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Texas Tax Talk: What To Know About The Prefiled Bills
Many of the Texas tax bills prefiled ahead of the state's January 2023 legislative session predictably reduce property tax, but it remains unclear how online sales tax sourcing will be addressed, and an expiring school district property tax incentive program will be reimplemented, say Matt Larsen and Alison Andrews at Baker Botts.
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Tax Cuts In Both Dakotas: SALT In Review
From tax-cut proposals in the Dakotas to a New Mexico artist who tried to represent himself, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Where Art Thou Kentucky Amnesty?
Attorneys at Frost Brown unpack the reasons why Kentucky's tax amnesty program never got off the ground this year, why implementation in 2023 won't be impeded by similar hurdles and how administration of the program may affect other Department of Revenue services once it gets going.
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5 Proof Of Domicile Takeaways From Calif. Tax Appeals Ruling
The California Office of Tax Appeals' recent Beckwith decision, which boiled down to a dispute over when a taxpayer moved from Tennessee to California for income tax purposes, provides valuable lessons on the evidence needed to establish the ties and intent that underlie tax domicile and residence, says Eric Coffill at Eversheds Sutherland.