State & Local

  • May 08, 2024

    Ark. Curbs Finance Dept.'s Power To Challenge Tax Rulings

    Arkansas will limit the state Department of Finance and Administration's ability to challenge the state Tax Appeals Commission's decisions in sales and use tax disputes as part of a bill signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

  • May 08, 2024

    Calif. Justices Weigh Striking Anti-Tax Ballot Initiative

    California Supreme Court justices sought to understand Wednesday if a measure approved for the November ballot that would make it harder to raise taxes would eliminate lawmakers' ability to tax and would illegally revise — rather than amend — the state constitution.

  • May 08, 2024

    Va. Tax Head Allows Modified Apportionment For Manufacturer

    The Virginia tax commissioner abated most of a company's corporate income tax assessment after finding the business was eligible to use a modified apportionment method for manufacturers.

  • May 08, 2024

    Va. Rental Tax Doesn't Apply To Co.'s Long-Term Leases

    A company that leases mobile and construction equipment from its parent company doesn't owe Virginia motor vehicle rental tax because the leases aren't short-term rentals, the state tax commissioner ruled. 

  • May 08, 2024

    Va. Tax Head Finds Royalties Ineligible For Full Exception

    A corporation filing in Virginia that paid royalties to an affiliate wasn't entitled to a state income tax exception for the full amount of the expense, the state tax commissioner said, citing a state Supreme Court ruling and concluding that the company's refund claim couldn't be granted.

  • May 08, 2024

    Va. Tax Head Won't Change Taxpayer's Apportionment Factor

    A Virginia taxpayer that owns more than 10% of a limited partnership's interest is still not entitled to an alternate apportionment method, the state tax commissioner said in a letter ruling. 

  • May 08, 2024

    Calif. Senate Committee Recommends Data Extraction Tax

    California would levy its 7.25% state sales and use tax on large online companies with digital advertising revenue above $2.5 billion and use the tax revenue to fund a credit regime for local news outlets under a bill passed by a Senate committee Wednesday.

  • May 08, 2024

    Ind. Youth Center Rightly Denied Tax Exemption, Board Says

    An Indiana youth center was correctly denied a religious tax exemption because the property is used to the benefit of the adopted children of the organization's founder, the state Board of Tax Review said in a decision published Wednesday.

  • May 08, 2024

    La. Board Says Class Claims On Solar Credits Need Tax Pleas

    Louisiana residents who have joined in a class action seeking damages from deferred solar panel tax credits that were capped annually must amend their claims to include tax violations, the state Board of Tax Appeals said.

  • May 08, 2024

    Colo. House OKs Temporary Income Tax Cut, Refund Changes

    Colorado would temporarily lower its flat income tax rate for the current tax year and could reduce the rate in upcoming years based on the levels of future state surpluses under legislation approved Wednesday by the state House of Representatives.

  • May 08, 2024

    NJ Utility Co. Appeals Tax Assessment On Labor Fees

    A utility company based in New Jersey asked the state tax court to set aside a roughly $342,000 sales and use tax assessment, arguing that the Division of Taxation included labor charges that were not taxable.

  • May 08, 2024

    La. House OKs Constitutional Convention For Tax Overhaul

    The Louisiana House of Representatives approved legislation that would call a convention to rework some elements of the state constitution, including moving certain tax provisions into state statutes to give lawmakers more flexibility to address a looming budget deficit.

  • May 08, 2024

    A Foley Hoag Co-Chair Joins Litigation Firm As Name Partner

    Litigation and dispute resolution firm Elliott Kwok Levine & Jaroslaw LLP will operate under a new name after welcoming as its newest name partner a former federal prosecutor who most recently co-chaired Foley Hoag LLP's white-collar crime and government investigations practice.

  • May 08, 2024

    Va. Biz's Forklift Exempt From Use Tax, Commissioner Rules

    A forklift owned by a business engaged in electronics dismantling and recycling qualifies for a use tax exemption because it was used for industrial processing, the Virginia tax commissioner said.

  • May 08, 2024

    Va. Tax Head Denies Exceptions For Receivables Factoring

    The Virginia tax commissioner said a corporation that sold invoices to another entity doesn't qualify for an expense exception for factoring costs because it was unable to prove there was a valid business purpose other than the avoidance of tax.

  • May 08, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers Approve Film Tax Credit Extension

    Colorado's film production tax credit would run through 2031 and make changes to the credit under legislation passed Wednesday by the state Senate and headed to the governor.

  • May 08, 2024

    Mass. Dept. Says Part Of Bundled Phones' Value Not Taxable

    Consumers buying discounted mobile phones in Massachusetts as part of a bundled package owe sales tax only on the amount actually paid, the state tax department said, responding to a 2023 court ruling.

  • May 08, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers OK Historic Structure Tax Credit Extension

    Colorado's tax credit for rehabilitation of historic structures would be extended and apply to structures as young as 30 years old under legislation approved by the Senate and headed to the governor.

  • May 07, 2024

    LA Cannabis Co. Owes $216K In Taxes, City Says

    Los Angeles has slapped a Venice cannabis shop with a lawsuit accusing it of shirking a more than $200,000 tax obligation, asking a state court for to force the dispensary to pay up.

  • May 07, 2024

    SD Unapportioned Use Tax Unconstitutional, US Justices Told

    South Dakota's imposition of an unapportioned use tax on a construction company's movable construction equipment — some of which was used in the state for one day — violates the fair apportionment requirement of the commerce clause, the company told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.

  • May 07, 2024

    Colo. House OKs Tax Credits For Gifts Through Intermediaries

    Colorado would allow income tax credits for charitable gifts made through certain intermediaries instead of directly to qualifying organizations under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.

  • May 07, 2024

    Calif. OTA Backs Excluding Dealership Sale From Sales Factor

    A business that operates car dealerships rightly had the gross receipts from its sale of an Alaskan dealership excluded from its California sales factor, the California Office of Tax Appeals ruled.

  • May 07, 2024

    Ore. Tax Court Drops Values Of Residential Parcels

    The Oregon Tax Court ruled that the real market values of two parcels teed up for a residential subdivision should be lowered after agreeing with the owner's comparable sales study and development cost analysis.

  • May 07, 2024

    Colo. Legislature OKs Apprenticeship Tax Credit

    Colorado would create a refundable income tax credit for the creation of apprenticeship programs, up to $12,600 per apprentice per year, under a bill passed by the state Senate.

  • May 07, 2024

    Colo. House OKs Conservation Easement Tax Break Extension

    Colorado would extend its conservation easement tax credit through 2031 and raise its statewide annual cap on available credits under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.

Expert Analysis

  • State Payroll Taxes Need Remote Work Reforms

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    To alleviate employer confusion around remote employee payroll tax, lower enforcement costs and better compete for top talent, states should allow a specific number of remote work days without withholding, simplify their administrative requirements and coordinate their tax policy reforms, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.

  • Cannabis Supercenters: Key Benefits And Legal Issues

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    Barstow, California’s novel plan to convert an abandoned mall into a cannabis supercenter could offer a potential blueprint for cannabis companies to thrive in a saturated market and for communities to repurpose underutilized retail spaces — but certain financing, zoning and leasing issues will need to be assessed, says Christopher Gordon at Fox Rothschild.

  • Taxing The Digital Economy: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

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    U.S. tech companies should watch for important developments in international taxation, including the resolution of Apple's decade-old state aid case, growing frustration with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global tax plan and adoption of the digital services tax instead, says Joyce Beebe at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

  • Kentucky Tax Talk: Pros, Cons Of The SALT Cap Workaround

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    Recent legislation that allows pass-through entities to be taxed at the entity level — Kentucky’s response to the federal cap on state and local tax deductions — could result in significant savings for taxpayers, but whether it applies to sole proprietorships and other aspects of the law are unclear, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Big Tax Changes For Multinational Cos. In Budget Proposal

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    The Biden administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposes changes that would materially alter decades-old Internal Revenue Code provisions, requiring a shift in multinational corporations' tax planning strategies comparable to that required after enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, say Xenia Garofalo and Kyle Colonna at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Home Seized, Tax Paid, Government Enriched: SALT In Review

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    From a Minnesota county's profit on a home seizure to a California proposal to raise corporate income taxes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • Mich. Statute Of Limitations Cases Carry Nationwide Impacts

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    The outcomes of Dine Brands v. Eubanks and Walt Disney v. Eubanks, currently working their way through the Michigan courts, are likely to affect how statutes of limitations in unclaimed property audits are calculated nationwide as well as within the state, given the widespread adoption of similar model provisions by many other states, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Wash. Fallout And New York Pets: SALT In Review

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    From the early fallout of Washington state's capital gains ruling to a proposed tax credit for adopting pets in New York, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • Inside Calif.'s New Unclaimed Property Compliance Program

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    As California gears up to launch its voluntary compliance program for taxpayers with unreported property owed to the state, eligible holders should be aware of kinks that may initially arise and of potential audit risks, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Missouri's Big Idea And NY's Online Thought: SALT In Review

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    From a Missouri bill that could eventually end the state's corporate income tax to a proposed tax on online deliveries in New York City, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Legitimizes Classwide Injury In Predominance

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling that vacated class certification in Van v. LLR makes clear that the question of injury is highly relevant to the predominance analysis, and underscores the importance of making a persuasive argument that injury is individualized within the class, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Ohio Tax Talk: Tax Amendments In Operating Budget Proposal

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    Starting in 2023, the Ohio House of Representatives' budget bill would amend sales and use, income, and commercial activity tax provisions, so individuals and businesses must monitor its progression, considering the revisions could carry consequences or liability for taxpayers, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.

  • A Tale Of 2 State Tax Sourcing Decisions: The Pa. Court's Path

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    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s recent decision in Synthes v. Commonwealth appropriately effectuated the Legislature's intent that ambiguous provisions in Section 17 of the Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act be construed to reflect the marketplace for the taxpayer's services, says Bruce Fort at the Multistate Tax Commission.

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