State & Local
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March 12, 2025
Property Tax Can Fund Retired Cops' Insurance, Panel Says
A Michigan state appeals court on Tuesday said property taxes imposed by four municipalities to cover the cost of health insurance for retired firefighters and police officers are not illegal, finding a law established before a constitutional amendment barring new taxes without a public vote allowed taxation for broad retirement benefits.
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March 12, 2025
Digital Ad Tax Bills Filed As States Watch Maryland, Pros Say
States continue to explore taxing digital advertising services, with several filing bills or making adjustments to regulations that would permit such taxation, tax professionals said Wednesday.
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March 12, 2025
Lighting Co. Says Ill. Remote Seller Tax Rule Burdensome
An Illinois law on sourcing of sales for tax purposes places an undue burden on remote sellers, a lighting equipment wholesaler told a state tax tribunal, saying it did not have sufficient nexus with the state to justify being subject to state sales taxes.
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March 12, 2025
Ore. House Bill Seeks Income Subtraction For Tips
Oregon would allow a subtraction modification equal to a taxpayer's tipped income beginning in 2026 under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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March 12, 2025
ND Lawmakers OK Recommending Tribal Land Taxation Study
North Dakota would direct state lawmakers to consider studying issues related to the taxation of land owned by enrolled tribal members who reside on Native American reservations under a bill passed by the state Legislative Assembly and headed to the governor.
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March 12, 2025
Md. Senate Panel OKs Digital Ad Tax Appeal Process
Assessments of Maryland's digital advertising gross revenue tax would be subject to the same administrative appeals process as most other taxes in the state under legislation passed Wednesday by the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
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March 11, 2025
NY Lawmakers Pitch Tax Hikes, Retaining Entity Tax Deadline
New York would raise the state's top personal and corporate income tax rates in budget plans that state lawmakers released that varied from certain elements of Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget proposal, including by eschewing Hochul's suggestion to push back the annual election date for entity-level taxes.
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March 11, 2025
With Guardrails, AI Is A Valuable Tax Tool, Tax Pros Say
Relevance of artificial intelligence in the tax world is expanding rapidly, and individuals and businesses should consider using it as long as cautions and guidelines are in place, tax professionals who have adopted the technology said Tuesday.
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March 11, 2025
12 Govs. Assert States' Sovereignty Against CTA In 5th Circ.
A dozen Republican governors, led by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, urged the Fifth Circuit to maintain a nationwide block of enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act, arguing the law undermines the traditional authority states have to regulate businesses.
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March 11, 2025
Ohio High Court Orders City Tax Question To Appear On Ballot
An Ohio county board of elections disregarded state law when it stopped a city's proposed extension of an additional income tax levy from appearing on a ballot, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
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March 11, 2025
Carlton Fields Tax Ace Jumps To Trenam Law In Fla.
Florida's Trenam Law has added a past chair of the tax section of the state bar after her 25-year stint at Carlton Fields PA.
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March 11, 2025
NY High Court Judges Quiz Attys On Scope Of Information Tax
New York Court of Appeals judges wrestled Tuesday with whether a lower court correctly found that a research company's measuring of the effectiveness of advertising campaigns constituted taxable information services, with the chief judge pondering whether the ruling could render legal services taxable.
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March 11, 2025
Minn. General Revenues In Feb. $116M Ahead Of Forecasts
Minnesota's general revenue collection in February exceeded budget forecasts by $116 million, according to a report by the state Department of Management and Budget.
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March 11, 2025
Indiana Tax Collection Through Feb. Beats Estimate By $151M
Indiana's general revenue collection from July through February outpaced forecasts by $151 million, according to a report from the State Budget Agency.
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March 11, 2025
Calif. Revenues Through February Up $4.3B From Forecast
California's revenue collection from July through February outpaced estimates by $4.3 billion, according to a report by the state Comptroller's Office.
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March 11, 2025
Minn. Panel Advances Flat Tax On Charitable Gambling
Minnesota would reduce its tax rate on receipts of lawful gambling conducted by charitable institutions to a flat 5% under legislation advanced Tuesday by a House Committee.
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March 11, 2025
Wis. Senate Prez Rejects Gov.'s Proposed High-Earner Tax
The president of the Wisconsin Senate rejected the governor's budget proposals, which include a new income tax bracket for high earners and a property tax freeze, saying Republicans would take the lead in crafting tax policy in this year's budget.
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March 11, 2025
Utah Lawmakers OK Min. Tax Rate Consensus Certification
Utah would require a minimum property tax rate imposed by school districts to be certified by the state's tax commission, the governor's Office of Planning and Budget and the state Legislature's Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst under a bill approved by state lawmakers and headed to the governor.
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March 11, 2025
Ore. House Panel OKs Boosting Film Fund Tax Credit
Oregon would boost the amount of tax credits available to those who donate to a state fund promoting the production of films and other media under legislation approved unanimously by a legislative panel.
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March 10, 2025
Cutting IRS Staff May Shift Audit Burden To States, Pros Say
A possible cut in half of the number of Internal Revenue Service employees, floated by President Donald Trump's administration, could profoundly affect state tax administration, particularly if states become more responsible for auditing federal taxable income, tax pros said Monday.
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March 10, 2025
Texas Committee Weighs Financial Transactions Tax Ban
Texas would have voters decide whether to prevent the state from taxing securities transactions under a joint resolution that would put the state on the road to becoming a global capital market, its sponsor told the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday.
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March 10, 2025
Ariz. Power Co. Asks Justices To Review Tax On Tribal Plant
An energy company asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review Arizona court decisions that said a power plant it owns on tribal land is subject to property taxes, arguing that privately owned improvements located on Native American reservations are exempt from state and local taxes.
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March 10, 2025
Utah Lawmakers OK Tax Break For Energy Facility Operators
Utah would provide a sales and use tax exemption for operators of facilities that manufacture energy storage devices or equipment under a bill passed by state lawmakers and headed to the governor.
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March 10, 2025
SC Court Should Reverse $7.7M Assessment, Mastercard Says
The South Carolina Appeals Court should rely on precedent when determining Mastercard's income-producing activity in the state and reverse an administrative law judge's determination upholding a $7.7 million corporate income tax assessment, the company told the court.
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March 10, 2025
Colo. Proposal Seeks Taxpayer Votes On New State Fees
Colorado voters could decide whether to require future votes to approve new state fees and other charges to fund major state enterprises under a pair of proposed initiatives with titles approved by a state board.
Expert Analysis
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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10 Considerations For Litigating A New York Tax Case
While some of New York’s recently adopted corporate tax regulations are likely to face legal challenges, aggrieved taxpayers should answer certain questions before deciding to embark on the tax litigation process, say Cyavash Ahmadi and Jeffrey Friedman at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Revenue Agencies At Their Finest: SALT In Review
From a survey of the nation's best departments of revenue to baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani's creative free-agent contract, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions
In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.
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A Bold Idea And A Striking Disregard: SALT In Review
From a far-reaching proposal in Nebraska to a Minnesota government agency's disregard of case law, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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5 Traps To Avoid When Selling CRE In Las Vegas Area
When dealing with commercial real estate in Clark County, Nevada — which includes the Las Vegas metro area — even sophisticated sellers may be ensnared by a myriad of tricky issues, ranging from transfer tax nuances to arbitration laws, says Chris Walther at Fennemore Craig.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.