State & Local

  • September 26, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: De Brauw, Hengeler Mueller

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, power grid operator TenneT Holding sells a stake in its German transmission business to institutional investors, Pfizer Inc. acquires biotechnology company Metsera Inc., and Dutch brewer Heineken NV buys most of Costa Rica's FIFCO beverage and retail operations.

  • September 26, 2025

    ​​​​​​​SC Revenue Through August Drops $283K From Last Year

    South Carolina's general revenue collection in July and August sank $283,000 from last year, the state Board of Economic Advisors reported.

  • September 26, 2025

    Ore. Court Says Refund Claim On Portland Tax Premature

    An Oregon resident did not exhaust his administrative remedies before challenging the constitutionality of the Portland area's income tax and seeking a refund, the state tax court ruled.

  • September 26, 2025

    Colo. Says Sales Tax Applies To Public Improvement Fees

    Public improvement fees, imposed by private parties on customers in certain shopping complexes in Colorado, are subject to the state's sales tax, the state Department of Revenue said.

  • September 26, 2025

    Tip Tax Regs Prompt Questions On Eligibility, Withholding

    The IRS has released preliminary guidance implementing Republicans' tax deduction for tip income, but tax professionals say more clarity is needed before next tax season on topics including who's eligible for the deduction and how employers must account for it.

  • September 26, 2025

    Mass. Board Won't Lower Boston Home's Tax Value

    A Boston homeowner showed insufficient evidence to lower her property's assessed value, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said, dismissing her claim that the assessment had increased at a higher rate than those of neighboring properties.

  • September 25, 2025

    Convicted Atty Lacks Moral Fitness, Ethics Panel Says

    Connecticut's statewide grievance committee says an attorney convicted 10 years ago for filing false federal tax returns doesn't have the moral character to return to the legal profession.

  • September 25, 2025

    DC Court Upholds Transfer Tax On Long-Term Leaseback

    The $39 million sale of a Washington, D.C., property and a long-term deal to lease it back to the seller constituted two separate taxable transactions, an appeals court said Thursday, rejecting a claim for a $1 million refund.

  • September 25, 2025

    Virginia Offers Tax Rebates For Timely 2024 Filing

    Virginia residents who file their state tax returns by Nov. 3 may be eligible for rebates, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office said.

  • September 25, 2025

    Pa. Justices Affirm Pittsburgh's 'Jock Tax' Is Unconstitutional

    Pittsburgh's 3% fee imposed on the income of nonresident professional athletes is unconstitutional and violates the state's uniformity clause, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed Thursday.

  • September 25, 2025

    Disney, IHOP Parent Lose Bid To Revisit Mich. Escheat Ruling

    The Michigan Court of Appeals denied a request from Disney and the parent company of IHOP to reconsider its ruling that said unclaimed property audit determinations create new legal obligations for holders that trigger a separate statute of limitations period to remit property.

  • September 25, 2025

    Michigan Senate Bill Seeks Tax On Vape Products

    Michigan would subject vaping and other nicotine products to the same 32% tax rate imposed on nicotine products under a bill filed in the Senate.

  • September 25, 2025

    Calif. Bay Area Transit Tax Proposal Passes Legislature

    California would establish a transportation district comprised of San Francisco and four other counties and authorize it to impose a retail transactions and use tax to fund transit operations, subject to voter approval, under a bill sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

  • September 25, 2025

    Ore. Tax Court Upholds IRS Offset To State Tax Refund

    The Oregon Tax Court rejected a couple's effort to obtain a state income tax refund that was offset by a federal tax liability, saying the taxpayers identified no legal authority to support their demand.

  • September 24, 2025

    Tax Court Finds Convicted Ex-Pa. Senator Liable For Tax

    A former Pennsylvania state senator convicted of fraud is on the hook for income tax deficiencies for 2001 through 2005, plus a civil fraud penalty for each year, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.

  • September 24, 2025

    Minn. Justices Reject Humana's Pharmacy Sourcing Appeal

    The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected arguments by a Humana subsidiary that its sales of pharmacy benefit services attributed to Minnesota should instead be sourced to a Humana unit in Wisconsin, denying the company a $834,000 refund Wednesday.

  • September 24, 2025

    Ill. Justices Won't Hear Pepsi's $2.1M Tax Penalty Case

    An Illinois appeals court decision allowing $2.1 million in penalties against PepsiCo for categorizing Frito-Lay expatriates' compensation as foreign payroll will stand, as the state's highest court declined to review the dispute Wednesday.

  • September 24, 2025

    Calif. Panel Upholds County's Higher Tax Rates On Utilities

    A California county's levying of property tax rates on utilities that are higher than rates on other types of properties doesn't violate the state constitution's tax rules, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, rejecting a $12 million refund claim from Pacific Bell and six other public utilities.

  • September 24, 2025

    Pa. Estate Denied Inheritance Tax Refund For Legal Costs

    An estate had its request for a $29 million refund of inheritance tax partially denied by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, which ruled that legal expenses it claimed for a deduction did not directly benefit the estate.

  • September 24, 2025

    Former Pa. Tax Collector Admits To Embezzling Public Funds

    A former Pennsylvania tax collector pled guilty to embezzling public money totaling more than $400,000 in property taxes and federal grants intended for her local government, federal prosecutors announced. 

  • September 24, 2025

    Ala. AT&T Affiliate's Cables Face General Sales Tax Rate

    An Alabama telecommunication company's purchase of fiber-optic cables triggers the general sales tax rate, not the machine tax rate, the state tax tribunal ruled. 

  • September 24, 2025

    Ohio House Bill Seeks Approval Rule For Some Property Tax

    Ohio would require some political subdivisions to obtain approval from their member governing bodies before imposing property tax above a statutory limit under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • September 23, 2025

    Trump Tariffs Are Constitutional, President's Allies Tell Justices

    Two Republican lawmakers and two allied nonprofit groups told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that it should allow President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

  • September 23, 2025

    Calif. Tax Code Conformity Update Heads To Gov.

    California would conform the state's tax law with numerous Internal Revenue Code provisions enacted over the last decade under a bill sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

  • September 23, 2025

    Atty-Trustee Conflicts Doom Scaife Estate's $26M Tax Refund

    A Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky attorney was also acting as Mellon heir Richard Scaife's lawyer, trustee and media executive when he signed releases that kept Scaife's spending of his inheritance secret from his children, so a resulting $200 million settlement between the children and Scaife's estate was not a bona fide tax-exempt expense, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Meeting A New Tax Across The River: SALT In Review

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    From New York's revised congestion pricing for lower Manhattan to the reality of artificial intelligence in tax administration, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • States, Taxes And Scorecards: SALT In Review

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    From the latest noteworthy rankings of the states' business tax regimes to results of ballot measures across the country, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens

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    States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Kentucky Tax Talk: Finally Better Online Records At Revenue?

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    The Kentucky Department of Revenue has not taken significant visible steps toward complying with legislation requiring it to post administrative guidance on its website starting no later than Nov. 15, and refusal to do so would widen the transparency gap between the state and its more business-friendly neighbors, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Overreach In Texas And An Acronym In Peril: SALT In Review

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    From the Council on State Taxation's take on a proposal in Texas to the potential end of a fundamental truth in Montana, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • NY Tax Talk: Questions In Corporate Franchise Tax Regs Case

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    In the first challenge to New York's Corporate Franchise Tax regulations — Paychex v. Department of Taxation and Finance — the court has an important opportunity to provide clarity on a major retroactive application issue, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

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