State & Local
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May 20, 2024
Ex-Conn. Town Atty Sues Over 'False' Ethics Complaint
Former Newington, Connecticut, town attorney Benjamin Ancona Jr. and other former officials took the Hartford-area suburb to state court claiming the town's assessor and others defamed them in and regarding a now-dismissed ethics complaint that was purportedly loaded with false statements.
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May 20, 2024
Tenn. Tax Collection Falls $494M Short Of Estimate
Tennessee's tax revenue collection from August through April underperformed a budget projection by $494 million, the state Department of Finance and Administration said in a report.
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May 20, 2024
Utah Revenue Through April Rises $19M From Prior Year
Utah collected $19 million more in net general revenue from July through April than it did during the same period last fiscal year, the state Tax Commission reported.
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May 20, 2024
Colo. To Impose Fee On Car Rentals To Fund Rail Projects
Colorado will impose a daily fee on vehicle rentals to raise funding for rail and transit infrastructure projects under legislation signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis that could be subject to litigation or a challenge at the ballot box.
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May 20, 2024
Iowa Exempts Rentals Between Affiliates From Sales, Use Tax
Iowa exempts certain leases or rentals between affiliates from the state's 6% sales and use tax under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 20, 2024
Feds Fight Proposed Delay In Hunter Biden's Tax Trial
Hunter Biden shouldn't be allowed to delay his criminal tax trial in California just because his lead attorney says the dates run up against Biden's upcoming trial in Delaware on firearms charges, the special counsel's office told a federal court.
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May 20, 2024
Va. Revenue Through April Grows $1.1B From Prior Year
Virginia general revenue collection from July through April was up by $1.1 billion compared with the same period last fiscal year, according to a statement from the state Department of Accounts.
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May 20, 2024
NJ Panel Advances Tax Credit Boost For Tech Co. Investments
A New Jersey Assembly committee advanced a bill that would increase tax credits offered under the state's angel investor tax credit program for investments in certain technology businesses.
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May 17, 2024
Mich. $3.4M Sales Tax Bill Is Wrong, Sneaker Site Tells Court
The Michigan Treasury Department incorrectly calculated a sneaker resale site's sales tax liability from 2017 through 2019, as the site is a marketplace facilitator required to collect tax beginning in 2020, the site told the state Court of Claims.
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May 17, 2024
Home Distillers Tell Feds Ban Fails Under Spirit Of The Law
The Hobby Distillers Association said the federal government is exceeding its constitutional powers and treading on states' rights by banning homemade liquor under its taxing authority, as the group laid out its position Friday at the request of a Texas federal judge.
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May 17, 2024
Md. To Allow Disclosure Of Tax Info For Compliance Efforts
Maryland will allow the disclosure of tax information to outside parties to assist the state comptroller's tax compliance efforts under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 17, 2024
Fla. Appeals Court Nixes Condo Tax Sale After Address Mix-Up
A Florida state appeals panel authored a split decision ordering a lower district court to reverse a tax deed sale after a property owner in Miami-Dade claimed the county's clerk of court failed to provide notice that his condo was being put up for sale due to a delinquent tax bill.
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May 17, 2024
Credit Suisse Can't Reverse $21.3M Biz Loss Denial
Credit Suisse cannot carry forward $21.3 million in business losses from 2015-2017 to its 2018 Michigan tax return, a state appeals court said, letting stand a ruling that the bank miscalculated its business income from those years on its returns.
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May 17, 2024
Ark. High Court Nixes $35M Hotel Tax Bill On Travel Cos.
An Arkansas circuit court erred in finding that online travel companies such as Hotels.com and Expedia were on the hook for $35 million in unpaid hotel taxes, the state's Supreme Court ruled, finding that a decades-old tax statute didn't apply to them.
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May 17, 2024
Md. Allows County To Add Excise Tax On Telecom Services
Maryland will authorize the state's second-most populous county to impose an excise tax on telecommunications services in addition to the county's sales and use tax on such services under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 17, 2024
Ohio School Board Can't Appeal Property Value To Court
An Ohio school board is prohibited from appealing a board of revision's valuation of a property that the school board didn't own to a court of common pleas, a state appeals court ruled.
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May 17, 2024
Mo. Lawmakers OK Fee Carveout For Streaming, Satellite Cos.
Missouri would exempt streaming and satellite TV companies from local franchise fees that cable companies pay under a bill headed to the governor's desk after the state House of Representatives gave its approval Friday.
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May 17, 2024
Missouri Bill To Ban St. Louis Teleworker Tax Fails To Pass
A push by Missouri lawmakers to prevent St. Louis from imposing its earnings tax on remote workers stalled Friday for the fourth consecutive year when the state Senate adjourned for the year without giving the proposal final approval.
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May 17, 2024
Judge Sets Hearing For Delay In Hunter Biden's Tax Trial
A California federal judge agreed Friday to consider Hunter Biden's request to push back his $1.4 million criminal tax trial, setting a hearing to address his claim that the dates interfere with his Delaware gun trial and threaten to prevent him from getting a fair shake.
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May 17, 2024
Md. Urges Court To Nix Google's Digital Ad Tax Challenge
Google's challenge to Maryland's digital ad tax should be summarily thrown out because the federal law cited by the company in its case is itself unconstitutional, whereas the tax is constitutionally sound, Maryland's comptroller told the state's tax court.
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May 17, 2024
Kansas Gov. Vetoes Tax Omnibus, Calls For Special Session
Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed three tax bills, one of which would have restructured the state's income tax brackets and made other tax changes, saying the plan was too costly for the state.
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May 17, 2024
RI General Revenue Through April Exceeds Forecast By $6M
Rhode Island's total general revenue from July through April was $6 million higher than budget estimates, according to a report by the state's Department of Revenue.
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May 17, 2024
Kan. Tax Collection Through April Up $316M From Last Year
Kansas' total tax revenue collected from July through April grew $316 million from the previous fiscal year, according to a monthly report by the state Department of Revenue.
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May 17, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Wachtell Lipton, Freshfields
In this week's Taxation with Representation, Nippon Life acquires Corebridge Financial, Crescent Energy buys SilverBow Resources and Uber purchases Foodpanda.
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May 17, 2024
Virgin Islands Silent 2 Years On $1.1M Tax Refund, Court Told
A man living on the island of St. Thomas claims he requested a tax refund of more than $1.1 million from the U.S. Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue more than two years ago and still hasn't heard back, according to a complaint in federal court.
Expert Analysis
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Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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High Court Case Could Reshape Local Development Fees
If last month's oral arguments are any indication of how the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, it's unlikely the justices will hold that the essential nexus and rough proportionality tests under the cases of Nollan, Dolan and Koontz apply to legislative exactions, but a sweeping decision would still be the natural progression in the line of cases giving property owners takings claims, says Phillip Babich at Reed Smith.
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Nebraska Should Abandon Proposed Digital Ad Tax
If passed, Nebraska’s recently proposed Advertising Services Tax Act, which would finance property tax relief by imposing a 7.5% gross revenue tax on advertising services, would cause a politically risky shift of tax burdens from landowners to local businesses and consumers, and would most certainly face litigation, say attorneys at McDermott.
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The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.
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As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders
The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.
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Envy, Regressivity And Other Sins: SALT In Review
From a California official's remarks on a star athlete's contract to another study documenting the regressivity of tax policies across the land, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success
Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.
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6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.
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Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga
Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
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Other Views On Administration And Land Tax: SALT In Review
From another take on ranking the states' tax agencies to the latest proposal on a different approach to land values, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.