State & Local
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May 23, 2025
Texas House OKs Internet Access Services Tax Exemption
Texas would exempt internet access services from sales tax under an amended bill passed by lawmakers, sending it back to the state Senate for approval.
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May 23, 2025
Ohio Board Denies Tax Break For City's Rented Office Building
An office building owned by an Ohio city's economic development entity isn't exempt from property taxes because the property is controlled by a nonprofit that leases space to for-profit businesses, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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May 23, 2025
ND General Fund Revenues Up $108M From Forecast
North Dakota's general fund revenue from July 2023 through April beat estimates by $108 million, according to the state Legislative Council.
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May 23, 2025
RI Revenues Through March Up $29M From Forecasts
Rhode Island's general fund revenue collection for July through April outpaced estimates by $29 million, the state Department of Revenue reported.
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May 23, 2025
Virginia Recycler Denied Credit On Past Equipment Purchase
A Virginia company was correctly denied a tax credit for the purchase of recycling equipment because it was purchased in a previous year, the state tax commissioner ruled.
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May 23, 2025
Va. Contractor Denied Real Property Sales Tax Break For Sand
Sand purchased by a Virginia homebuilder is tangible personal property subject to use tax and not real property, the state tax commissioner said, rejecting the builder's argument that the sand was part of the land at its previous location.
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May 23, 2025
NJ Assembly OKs Requiring State Buyback Of Unused Credits
New Jersey's tax agency would be required to purchase certain unused tax credits for real estate development projects under a bill passed by the state Assembly.
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May 22, 2025
NY Tribunal Nixes Time Warner's $6.7M Tax On Service Fees
A Time Warner Cable entity is exempt from nearly $6.7 million in sales tax on federal fees based on its interstate and international services that it passed on to New York customers, the state Tax Appeals Tribunal ruled in an opinion obtained by Law360 on Thursday.
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May 22, 2025
Fla. Can't End Tech Groups' Challenge To Social Media Law
A Florida federal judge on Thursday denied the state's motion to dismiss a complaint brought by technology groups challenging a Florida law restricting social media companies from blocking political candidates, ruling that the plaintiffs have standing to sue on behalf of their members.
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May 22, 2025
Minn. Tax Group OKs Trimming, Extending Data Center Break
Minnesota would extend a sales tax on data centers while removing electricity purchases from that exemption, and boost the state cannabis tax, under a compromise package partially agreed to Thursday by a legislative working group.
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May 22, 2025
Mich. Justices To Review Nationwide's Unitary Tax Filing Win
The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Thursday to weigh an appeal by the state's tax agency of a decision that said Nationwide entities could file their taxes as a unitary group to share tax credits among its members.
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May 22, 2025
Texas Lawmakers OK Increase In Biz Property Tax Exemption
Texas would raise the state's business personal property tax exemption fiftyfold pending the outcome of a public vote under a bill approved by state lawmakers and sent to Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday.
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May 22, 2025
Neb. Gov. Rejects Letting Districts Tax Outside Property
A Nebraska bill to let some local taxing districts impose taxes on property outside their boundaries, and to create statewide standards for inspections by public housing authorities, was vetoed by the state's governor.
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May 22, 2025
Md. Enacts Appeal Process For Digital Ad Tax
Maryland authorized companies challenging assessments of the state's tax on digital advertising to use the same administrative appeal process allowed for most other state taxes under two bills signed by the governor.
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May 22, 2025
Colorado Court Should Grant Tobacco Tax Refund, Co. Says
Colorado should be required to refund tobacco taxes it collected after exceeding state projections for a fiscal year and violating its Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a tobacco distributor told a state court, urging it to grant the company's motion for judgment.
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May 22, 2025
Md. Establishes Payment Plans For Incarcerated Taxpayers
Maryland taxpayers who are or were incarcerated will be eligible for installment plans for tax liabilities under two bills signed by the state's Democratic governor.
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May 22, 2025
Wash. Authorizes 0.1% Local Sales Tax For Justice Initiatives
Washington state will allow local governments to levy a 0.1% sales and use tax to fund criminal justice efforts under legislation signed by its governor.
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May 22, 2025
Tenn. Revenues Through April Fall $128M From Estimates
Tennessee's general fund revenue collection from July through April lagged behind budget forecasts by $128 million, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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May 22, 2025
Ore. Lawmakers OK Extending Affordable Housing Tax Breaks
Three Oregon property tax exemptions intended to promote affordable housing would be extended under legislation passed unanimously by the state Senate and sent to the governor.
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May 22, 2025
SC Revenue Through April Up $894M From Last Year
South Carolina's gross general fund revenue from July through April beat last year's total for that period by $894 million, according to the state Board of Economic Advisors.
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May 22, 2025
Md. To Exempt Cannabis Nursery Sales From Tax
Maryland will exempt the sale of cannabis between licensed cannabis businesses and registered cannabis nurseries from sales and use tax under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 22, 2025
Ariz. General Revenue Collections Up $223M From Forecasts
Arizona's general revenue collection from July through April outpaced estimates by $223 million, according to the state Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
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May 22, 2025
Ore. Lawmakers OK Renewed Historic Preservation Credit
An expired Oregon tax credit for historic preservation would be reauthorized and limited to commercial properties under legislation passed by the state Senate and headed to the governor.
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May 22, 2025
Mich. House Approves Tax Deduction For Broadband Grants
Michigan companies could take an income tax deduction for certain broadband access grants under a bill the state House of Representatives passed.
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May 21, 2025
Wash. Gov. Signs Budget With New And Higher Taxes
Washington's governor signed a two-year $78 billion state budget that closed a $16 billion shortfall in part by raising and increasing taxes, ending weeks of speculation over whether he'd agree with his fellow Democrats in the state Legislature that a tax package was needed.
Expert Analysis
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Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals
If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.
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Sensible In Maine, Less So On Capitol Hill: SALT In Review
From a move afoot on Capitol Hill toward ending an important corporate tax deduction to a proposal to do away with Maine's film tax credits, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks
The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
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Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing
Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.
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10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master
As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.
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An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future
Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.
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Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance
Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.
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Tax Takeaways From Georgia's 2025 Legislative Session
Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland discuss tax-related measures passed by the Georgia Legislature during the session that adjourned on April 4, which included a decrease in income tax rates, an extension of the time in which to a protest tax assessment and cleanup provisions related to launching the state’s new tax court next year.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols
Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Cookies, Cribs, Curiousness: SALT In Review
From Massachusetts' cookie-based take on a federal law to Pennsylvania's proposed tax exemption for cribs, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process
The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.
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How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms
Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital
Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.