State & Local

  • August 14, 2024

    DC Tax Relief Can Aid Office Projects, But It's No 'Silver Bullet'

    While tax relief programs may help a handful of office conversion projects in Washington, D.C., and make financial sense, much more needs to happen to bring the city's struggling downtown back to life again, real estate experts say.

  • August 13, 2024

    Treasury's Loss Rules Take Broad Approach To Min. Tax Deal

    The U.S. Treasury Department recently dashed the hopes of multinational corporations seeking regulations that would have carved out an international minimum tax agreement from interacting with long-standing domestic rules aimed at preventing companies from using the same economic loss twice.

  • August 13, 2024

    IRS Delays Tax Deadlines In Vermont After Hurricane Debby

    Taxpayers in Vermont will be given until Feb. 3 to file individual and business tax returns and make payments after the state was hit by Hurricane Debby, the Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday.

  • August 13, 2024

    Shipping Co.'s Cleaning Services Taxable, Wash. Court Affirms

    A Washington state court properly denied a shipping company's request for a refund of sales tax paid on cleaning services for its shipping containers because the containers weren't integral to the ships' use, a state appellate court affirmed.

  • August 13, 2024

    Anheuser-Busch Fights Mo. Tax On Items Sent Out Of State

    Anheuser-Busch is seeking a refund of about $262,000 in Missouri sales and use taxes it says it paid on a variety of exempt transactions, including taxes paid on iPhones that were ultimately shipped to out-of-state employees and computer items used in the beer manufacturing process.

  • August 12, 2024

    UN Eyes Two Early Changes For Tax Pact In Latest Draft

    Diplomats would draft two legally binding protocols under the United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation while creating the convention itself under the latest draft guidance for negotiators after they select from a shortlist of possible topics, including the digital economy and wealth taxation.

  • August 12, 2024

    Ill. Allows Discretion On Investment Tax Credit Repayment

    Illinois businesses that failed to meet the mandatory employment threshold for the angel investment tax credit may be granted discretion when it comes to the repayment of the credit amounts, under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. 

  • August 12, 2024

    IRS Extends Tax Deadlines For Minn. Storm Victims

    Minnesota taxpayers affected by severe storms and flooding have until February to file tax returns and make payments, the Internal Revenue Service said Monday.

  • August 12, 2024

    Miss. Urges State Justices To Uphold Tax On Freight Charges

    The Mississippi Supreme Court should find that the state's use tax laws clearly subject freight charges to tax, the state Department of Revenue argued in seeking to overturn a lower court decision that negated a tax assessment on third-party charges a pipeline company paid.

  • August 12, 2024

    Ill. Will Analyze State, County Property Tax Systems

    Illinois will conduct a study of the state's property tax system along with a review of Cook County's classification system under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

  • August 12, 2024

    Mo. Goodwill Qualifies For Charitable Property Tax Exemption

    A Missouri Goodwill employing those with "barriers to employment" qualifies for a charitable purpose exemption, making it exempt from property tax, the state tax commission ruled. 

  • August 12, 2024

    Mich. Yacht Club's Seawalls Subject To Tax, Tribunal Says

    A Michigan yacht club's seawalls are not exempt from property tax because the seawall's primary purpose is not for erosion control, the state Tax Tribunal said.

  • August 12, 2024

    Ind. Tax Board Reverses Valuation Of Rental Property

    An Indiana tax board must reconsider the use of a single-family property that is rented out by its corporate owner, since the local assessor valued the home like an owner-occupied residence, the state's tax court said.

  • August 12, 2024

    Mo. Commission Says Lowe's Can't Value Stores As Vacant

    The Missouri State Tax Commission rejected arguments from Lowe's to reduce the value of three properties by a combined $11.7 million, disagreeing with the home improvement giant's arguments that the properties should be valued as though they were vacant.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Featured Stories

  • Walz Backed Tax Hikes Funding Plans For Children, Families

    Maria Koklanaris

    As Minnesota's governor, Democrat Tim Walz, now the presumed vice presidential nominee of his party, separated himself from most other governors by signing into law numerous tax increases funding progressive priorities such as a paid family leave plan and the nation's largest child tax credit.

  • Treasury's Loss Rules Take Broad Approach To Min. Tax Deal

    Natalie Olivo

    The U.S. Treasury Department recently dashed the hopes of multinational corporations seeking regulations that would have carved out an international minimum tax agreement from interacting with long-standing domestic rules aimed at preventing companies from using the same economic loss twice.

  • Past Tax Ideas Offer Insight Into A Harris-Walz Presidency

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    An analysis of tax proposals previously put forth by Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats' presumptive nominees for president and vice president, indicates they could pursue a tax agenda geared toward providing tax relief to middle- and lower-income Americans.

Expert Analysis

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Going The Extra Miles: SALT In Review

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    From a dispute about the borders of Florida's airspace to proposals that would exempt tips from taxes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • Maryland 'Rain Tax' Ruling May Offer Hope For Tax Credits

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    A Maryland state appellate court's recent decision in Ben Porto v. Montgomery County echoes earlier case law upholding controversial stormwater charges as a valid excise tax, but it also suggests that potential credits to reduce property owners' liability could get broader in scope, says Alyssa Domzal at Ballard Spahr.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Shake-Ups For Courts In Different Fields: SALT In Review

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    From the end of Chevron deference in the courts to the planned sale of the NBA's reigning champion, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • Kentucky Tax Talk: Appeals Court Revisits Leases' Tax Effects

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    With better facts and greater emphasis on the Kentucky Constitution, Walgreen Co. may succeed in its latest Kentucky Court of Appeals challenge to a tax assessor's method of valuing leaseholds on real property for purposes of determining ad valorem tax, say Mark Sommer and Elizabeth Ethington at Frost Brown Todd.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.