State & Local
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November 05, 2024
An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist
With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.
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November 05, 2024
GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump
Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees.
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November 05, 2024
The Firms With An Inside Track To A New Trump Admin
Law firms that have represented Donald Trump and the Republican Party on everything from personal legal woes to election-related lawsuits could see the risks of that work pay dividends as Trump is projected to secure a second term in office.
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November 05, 2024
Florida, Georgia, Others Peel Back Real Estate Taxes
Voters in seven states approved a spate of real estate tax ballot initiatives on Election Day, including measures that would curb property taxes for veterans, residential property owners and residents of municipalities that fail to enforce nuisance laws.
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November 05, 2024
Cannabis And Psychedelic Reform Bids Fail In Multiple States
Efforts to liberalize cannabis and psychedelic laws via ballot initiatives met with defeat in multiple states on Election Day, dealing a blow to reformers of drug policies.
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November 05, 2024
Oregon Voters Reject New Tax On Big Businesses
Oregon voters declined Tuesday to impose a new minimum tax on large businesses that could have raised $15 billion each biennium with most of the funding used to make annual payments to residents, rejecting Measure 118.
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November 05, 2024
North Dakota Voters Choose To Retain Property Taxation
North Dakota will continue to allow its political subdivisions to levy property tax after voters rejected a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would prohibit its imposition by a subdivision unless it had outstanding debt.
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November 05, 2024
South Dakota Voters Turn Down Grocery Tax Exemption
South Dakota voters rejected a ballot initiative Tuesday that would have exempted food sales from the state's sales tax.
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November 05, 2024
Nev. Voters Approve Sales Tax Exemption For Diapers
Nevada will exempt diaper sales from the state's sales and use tax under a measure approved by voters Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
Calif. Managed Care Tax Made Permanent By Ballot Measure
California's tax on managed healthcare insurance plans to fund the state's Medi-Cal health program has been made permanent following voter approval of a proposition on Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
Ill. Voters Back Millionaire Tax In Nonbinding Referendum
Illinois voters supported imposing a higher tax rate on millionaires to fund property tax relief in an advisory referendum Tuesday, a move that could prompt state lawmakers to take another pass at repealing the state's constitutional requirement for a flat income tax.
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November 05, 2024
Ga. Voters Approve Expanded Reach Of State Tax Court
Georgia voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday that will give the state's administrative tax court jurisdiction with the state's superior courts with an amendment to the state constitution.
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November 05, 2024
Washington Voters Reject Repeal Of State Capital Gains Tax
Washington state voters declined Tuesday to repeal the state's embattled tax on capital gains, voting 1,610,148 to 937,050 with 64% of the vote counted against Initiative 2109 and thus allowing the capital gains tax to stand.
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November 05, 2024
Wash. Voters Reject Repeal Of State Cap-And-Trade Law
Washington state voters declined to repeal the state's cap-and-trade program Tuesday, turning down Initiative 2117 by a vote of 1,566,065 to 972,623 with 64% 0f the vote counted.
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November 05, 2024
Ga. Voters Approve Increase To Personal Property Exemption
Georgia will increase its personal property exemption to $20,000 under a referendum approved by voters Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
Ga. Voters Approve Local Option Homestead Exemption
Georgia will give localities the ability to opt out of a statewide homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes under a ballot measure approved by voters Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
Calif. Couple Can't Carry Back Or Carry Forward Loss
A California couple's loss in 2017 did not generate a net operating loss that could be carried back to 2015 and 2016 and carried over to 2018 and 2019, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled, upholding the Franchise Tax Board.
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November 05, 2024
Calif. Seller Can't Retroactively Report Real Estate Gain
A California seller of a $10.6 million property in Beverly Hills may not retroactively choose to report the gain on the sale of the property on an installment basis, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled, siding with the Franchise Tax Board.
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November 05, 2024
Ill. Dept. Floats Regs To Clarify Aviation Fuel Tax Discount
The Illinois Department of Revenue proposed regulatory amendments to clarify that a sales tax discount isn't allowed for a portion of taxes paid on aviation fuel that is subject to use requirements under federal transportation statutes governing aviation programs.
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November 05, 2024
Montana General Revenues Through Oct. Down $6M
Montana general revenue collection from July through October fell roughly $6 million compared with the same period in the last fiscal year, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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November 05, 2024
Florida Net Revenue Through Sept. Beats Estimate By $226M
Florida's net revenue collection from July through September beat revenue estimates by $226 million, according to a report by the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
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November 05, 2024
Iowa Net Receipts Through Oct. Drop $6M From Last Year
Iowa net receipts from July through October fell $6 million from the total for the same period last fiscal year, according to the state Legislative Services Agency.
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November 05, 2024
Calif. OTA Says Ga. Biz Owner Owes Income Tax
A Georgia resident is required to file and pay taxes on California income from a company he partly owned, the California Office of Tax Appeals ruled Tuesday, sustaining the findings of the state Franchise Tax Board.
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November 05, 2024
Ohio House Bill Would Eliminate Income Tax On OT Wages
Ohio would exempt overtime wages from the state's personal income tax under a bill filed in the state House of Representatives.
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November 05, 2024
On The Ground: How Attorneys Safeguarded The Election
Attorneys worked tirelessly Tuesday to support citizens and election workers on the final day of voting in one of history's most contentious presidential contests.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.