State & Local
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May 14, 2025
Ore. Senate Panel OKs Renewed Historic Preservation Credit
Oregon would reauthorize a historic preservation tax credit and limit it to commercial properties under legislation advanced by a state Senate panel.
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May 14, 2025
NJ's 2025 Revenue Forecast Revised Higher
New Jersey's tax revenue collection so far this fiscal year has been better than expected, the state's treasurer told the state Assembly Budget Committee on Wednesday, saying her department would increase its revenue forecast for both fiscal year 2025 and 2026.
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May 14, 2025
Pa. April Collections Surpass Estimate By $363M
Pennsylvania's general fund collections for April were $363 million higher than the state's estimate, finishing at $6.2 billion, the state Department of Revenue said in a report.
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May 14, 2025
Minn. House Bill Seeks 10-Cent Plastic Bottle Tax
Minnesota would impose a 10-cent tax on plastic beverage bottles, with the funds dedicated to water and sewer infrastructure projects, under legislation introduced Wednesday in the state House.
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May 14, 2025
Ga. Gives Income Tax Exclusion For Disaster Relief Payments
Georgia authorized a state income tax exclusion for eligible disaster relief or assistance grant program payments for agricultural damage wrought by Hurricane Helene under a bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
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May 14, 2025
Ore. Riverfront Parcel Overvalued, State Tax Court Finds
An Oregon riverfront property was overvalued by $12,000 in tax year 2022-23, the Oregon Tax Court said, lowering its real market value while rejecting the owner's arguments for a much deeper cut.
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May 14, 2025
Ohio Revenues Through April Beat Estimates By $533M
Ohio's total revenues from July through April proved to be $533 million ahead of estimates, according to a report by the state Office of Budget Management.
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May 14, 2025
Alabama Will Offer Workers 30-Day Safe Harbor
Certain workers who spend 30 days or less per year performing their duties in Alabama will be exempt from income tax under a bill signed by the governor Wednesday.
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May 14, 2025
Minn. School Can Skip Accrediting For Tax Break, Court Says
A Minnesota school seeking a property tax exemption as an educational entity is not required to show accreditation by an outside organization to qualify for the break, the state tax court said.
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May 13, 2025
Pa. Court Debates RGGI Membership Without Lawmakers' Nod
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed if a law empowering the state's environmental regulator equated to securing legislative approval to join a multistate Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, with the state justices noting Pennsylvania is the only member to join without lawmakers' blessing.
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May 13, 2025
House Panel Clears $3.8T Extension of 2017 Tax Overhaul Law
The House Ways and Means Committee voted along party lines early Wednesday to approve a $3.8 trillion tax bill that would make permanent many of the tax cuts for businesses and individuals enacted in President Donald Trump's first term.
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May 13, 2025
CarMax Says SC Failed To Justify Apportionment Change
South Carolina's tax agency did not prove that CarMax used intercompany transactions to distort an entity's business activity and its state tax burden, the company told an appeals court, arguing that the state was wrong to make CarMax use an alternative apportionment method.
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May 13, 2025
Ohio Justices Pan Denial Of Tax Break For Farm Vehicle
Several Ohio Supreme Court justices sounded critical Tuesday of the state tax agency's argument that a timber farming business owed use tax on its purchase of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle that the owner testified was mostly used to help workers treat the land.
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May 13, 2025
Minn. Sens. Advance Social Media Tax, Ditch Film Credit Cut
A Minnesota tax package that includes a proposed excise tax on social media data collection is headed to the full state Senate for consideration after a committee removed a provision Tuesday that would have cut the state's film production tax credit.
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May 13, 2025
Pa. Sens. Reject Bill To Legalize Pot Through State-Run Shops
A Pennsylvania Senate committee on Tuesday voted to reject a bill to legalize adult-use marijuana and regulate its sale via state-run stores.
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May 13, 2025
Pot Dispensary Asks Mo. High Court To Block County Taxes
In incorporated areas of Missouri counties, a municipality's imposition of a 3% sales tax on adult-use cannabis supersedes a county's ability to impose its own additional tax, a dispensary told the Missouri Supreme Court during oral arguments Tuesday.
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May 13, 2025
Ala. Will Lower State Sales And Use Tax Rate On Groceries
Alabama will lower the state sales and use tax rate on groceries from 3% to 2% starting next fiscal year under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 13, 2025
Ariz. County Will Ask Voters To Extend Local Jail Tax 20 Years
Maricopa County, Arizona, will ask voters to extend the existing 0.2% jail facilities excise tax for 20 years with the approval of a countywide ballot measure under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 13, 2025
La. April Revenues Drop $169M From Last Year
Louisiana general revenue collection in April trailed last year by $169 million, according to a report by the state Department of Revenue.
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May 13, 2025
Idaho Revenues Through April Down $55M From Forecasts
Idaho's general fund revenue collection from July through April trailed estimates by $55 million, the state Division of Financial Management reported.
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May 13, 2025
Minn. Revenue Tops Forecast By $391M In April
Minnesota general fund revenue in April exceeded an estimate by $391 million, the state Department of Management and Budget reported.
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May 13, 2025
Ore. Panel OKs State Tax Court's Standing For Associations
Oregon associations and other organizations, in addition to aggrieved individuals and businesses, could seek relief in the state tax court under legislation approved by a Senate panel.
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May 13, 2025
Ala. To Exempt Menstrual Products, Diapers From Sales Tax
Alabama will exempt menstrual products, maternity clothing, diapers and baby supplies from state sales and use tax under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 12, 2025
Feds Say Tribal Tariff Dispute Must Stay In US Trade Court
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is fighting Montana tribal members' attempt to stop the transfer of their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's Canada tariff orders from federal court to the U.S. Court of International Trade, saying the CIT has exclusive jurisdiction over the case.
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May 12, 2025
Texas Voters To Decide On Prohibiting Tax On Capital Gains
Texas voters will decide if the state should create a constitutional amendment barring taxes on individuals' realized or unrealized capital gains under a resolution approved by state lawmakers.
Expert Analysis
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Local Taxes And Repercussions: SALT In Review
From a study of local taxes to news that corporations will relocate to tax-friendlier places, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis
There is a wide array of financial incentives and assistance that the government can provide to both real estate developers and individuals to chip away at the housing affordability problem from multiple angles, say Eric DeBear and Madeline Williams at Cozen.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
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Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan
Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.
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Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.