State & Local
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September 24, 2024
NY Sales Tax Due On Vehicle's Lease Balance, Dept. Says
A New York taxpayer who assumed a lease on a motor vehicle from another taxpayer owes sales tax on the remainder of lease payments despite tax being paid on the initial lease, the state Department of Taxation and Finance said in a ruling released Tuesday.
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September 24, 2024
NY Tax Applies To Tree Inventory Services, Dept. Says
A company's tree inventory services are subject to New York sales tax because the custom reports the company gives clients constitute taxable maintenance and servicing of real property, the state Department of Taxation and Finance said in a ruling released Tuesday.
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September 24, 2024
Mich. Court Affirms Walmart Valuation As $5M Vacant Property
The $5 million tax valuation of a Walmart store in Michigan will stand, the state court of appeals said, rejecting arguments by a local township that a tax panel was wrong to value it as if it were vacant.
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September 24, 2024
NY Tax Doesn't Apply To UK Biz's Motor Parts Purchases
New York sales tax doesn't apply to a business's purchases of motor parts, because while the parts were purchased in New York, they were resold overseas, the state tax department said in a ruling released Tuesday.
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September 24, 2024
Miller & Chevalier Adds Federal Tax Expert From White & Case
Miller & Chevalier Chtd. announced that it added a former partner at White & Case LLP to its tax controversy and litigation practice.
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September 23, 2024
NJ Justices Probe State's Role In Tax Sale Foreclosures
The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday probed whether the state's Tax Sale Law still holds up in the wake of a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the government cannot profit from a property seizure, pondering the state's role in tax sale foreclosures and if a private, third-party lienholder could be considered a state actor.
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September 23, 2024
SC Judge Won't Rethink CarMax Transfer Pricing Ruling
A South Carolina administrative law judge denied a request from CarMax to revisit his decision that the company used intercompany transactions to distort an entity's business activity and thus its tax burden in the state.
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September 23, 2024
Newsom Vetoes Tax Credit For Buyers Of Manufacturing Gear
A California bill that would have provided purchasers of manufacturing equipment with state tax credits equal to the amount of nonexempt sales and use taxes paid on the purchase of equipment was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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September 23, 2024
The Tax Angle: Corporate Inversions, SALT Cap
From a look at criticisms that the 2017 federal tax law failed to stop corporations from moving overseas to GOP efforts to navigate the SALT cap ahead of the November elections, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.
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September 23, 2024
NY Extends Industrial Property Tax Break Application Deadline
New York state extended by four years to 2029 the deadline to apply for property tax abatements for eligible industrial and commercial buildings in New York City as part of a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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September 23, 2024
Disney Asks Justices To Review NY Tax On Foreign Royalties
New York's highest court used the wrong standard for evaluating tax statutes for discrimination when it denied deductions that The Walt Disney Co. sought for royalties received from foreign affiliates, the company argued in a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court that Law360 obtained Monday.
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September 23, 2024
NJ Senate Bill Seeks To Ditch Transaction Nexus Requirement
New Jersey would get rid of part of the state's remote sales and use tax nexus requirement, axing a part that specifies that retailers that make at least 200 transactions collect and remit the tax, as part of a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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September 23, 2024
NY Tax Applies To Trading Platform's Sales, Dept. Says
New York sales tax applies to the receipts of a web-based exchange where people can trade foreign currencies, the state's Department of Taxation and Finance said in an advisory opinion.
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September 23, 2024
NY Sales Tax Doesn't Apply To Sales Of Energy Gels
New York doesn't levy a sales tax on energy enhancing gels and chews because they are considered dietary foods and health supplements, the state Department of Taxation and Finance said.
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September 23, 2024
Minn. Court Won't Slash Home's $189K Tax Valuation
A Minnesota homeowner's attempt to cut the tax valuation of his home by nearly one-third was rejected by the state tax court, which said his use of comparable sales fell short of the evidence needed to overturn the assessment.
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September 23, 2024
SC General Fund Revenue Up $184M From Last Year
South Carolina's general fund revenue from July through August beat last year's total for that period by $184 million, according to the state Board of Economic Advisors.
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September 23, 2024
Squire Patton Tax Ace Joins Winston & Strawn In Dallas
Winston & Strawn LLP announced Monday it has expanded its tax offerings with the addition of an experienced attorney from Squire Patton Boggs LLP in Texas.
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September 23, 2024
Walmart Accused Of Wrongly Taxing Delivery Fees In Fla.
Walmart unlawfully collects sales tax on delivery fees in Florida, a customer claimed in a proposed class action removed to federal court, saying the tax cannot apply if customers may choose to pick up the order themselves.
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September 23, 2024
ND General Revenues Up $350M Over Budget Forecast
North Dakota's general revenue collection from July 2023 through August 2024 came in $350 million over estimates, according to the state's Legislative Council.
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September 23, 2024
RI General Revenue Collection Beats Estimates By $49M
Rhode Island's total general revenue exceeded budget estimates by $49 million for July through August, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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September 23, 2024
Ala. Biz Tax Refund Denied For Lack Of Family Entity Election
An Alabama taxpayer was properly assessed business privilege tax in 2021 after failing to file the correct form to be considered a family limited liability entity, the state Tax Tribunal ruled.
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September 20, 2024
NY Sales Tax Applies To Use Of Portal Software, Dept. Says
New York state and local sales taxes apply to charges for the use of a web portal host's software by customers and applicants, the state tax department said, finding the charges constitute the sale of prewritten software.
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September 20, 2024
NJ Explains Sales Tax Reduction Phaseout For EVs
New Jersey will subject zero-emission vehicles to a reduced sales tax starting Oct. 1, before increasing the levy in 2025, the state Division of Taxation said as part of an FAQ page released Friday that specified other tax changes.
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September 20, 2024
NJ Resident Owes NY Tax For Remote Work During COVID
A vice president of an investment fund with a New York office owes income tax to that state for days he worked from home in New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a New York administrative law judge determined.
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September 20, 2024
NY Tax Dept. Says Biz's Data Services Subject To Sales Tax
A mobile and web analytics company in New York must collect and remit state and local sales tax for its services, according to the state Department of Taxation and Finance.
Expert Analysis
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session
Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.
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Geothermal Energy Has Growing Potential In The US
Bipartisan support for the geothermal industry shows that geothermal energy can be an elegant solution toward global decarbonization efforts because of its small footprint, low supply chain risk, and potential to draw on the skills of existing highly specialized oil and gas workers and renewable specialists, say attorneys at Weil.
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Bad Ideas That Won't Go Away: SALT In Review
From California's latest move toward a digital ad tax to Kansas' proposed tax credits for film production, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy
The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Budget Focus Cools Tax Reform Efforts
There were some noteworthy tax developments during Kentucky’s legislative session — like the revival of local tax reform and enactment of another tax amnesty program — but major tax initiatives, like those seen in recent years, were largely tabled as legislators focused on establishing the state’s two-year budget, say attorneys at Frost Brown.
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NY Tax Talk: Primary Function Is Key Analysis For Sales Tax
Two sales tax cases recently decided by New York's Appellate Division illustrate why both taxpayers and the state's Department of Revenue subscribe to the primary function test, a logical way to determine whether business transactions are subject to sales tax, say Elizabeth Cha and Jeremy Gove at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Strange Notions Bubble Up: SALT In Review
From an assault on North Carolina's phaseout of its corporate income tax to a court ruling on the taxability of sparkling water in Pennsylvania, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.