State & Local
-
June 12, 2024
Ohio Tax Board Undoes Vacant Eatery's COVID-19 Value Cut
An Ohio County Board of Revision erred when it lowered a vacant restaurant property's value after the property owner argued the value had dropped as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
-
June 12, 2024
Treasury Issued Over $1B In Clean Vehicle Tax Credits
The clean vehicle tax credit of up to $7,500 has saved buyers more than $1 billion in total upfront costs since January, the U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday, saying the figures represent a major milestone in lowering transportation costs since the incentive was updated in 2022.
-
June 12, 2024
Florida Net Revenue Through April Beats Estimate By $879M
Florida's net revenue from July through April exceeded forecasts by $879 million, the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research reported.
-
June 12, 2024
Colo. Dept. OKs Tax Credit For Donations To Adoption Agency
Donations to an agency that seeks adoptive parents for children qualify for Colorado's child care contribution tax credit, the state Department of Revenue said.
-
June 11, 2024
Tax Agencies Must Exercise Caution With AI, Experts Say
Artificial intelligence has the potential to make tax administration more efficient and effective but must be approached with great caution to minimize significant risks including privacy, fairness and quality control, experts on the subject said Tuesday.
-
June 11, 2024
Precedent Favors Nationwide In Mich. Tax Fight, Judge Says
A Michigan Court of Appeals judge said Tuesday that the state's tax agency was asking the court to turn its back on recent precedent to hold that Nationwide entities couldn't file as a unitary business to share insurance tax credits across their group members.
-
June 11, 2024
RI Lawmakers OK Sharing Info About Biz Entities' Tax Status
Rhode Island would allow its Division of Taxation and secretary of state's office to share information on a business' tax status as part of a bill passed by lawmakers and headed to the governor.
-
June 11, 2024
NY Senate Confirms Gov.'s Appointment To Tax Tribunal
The New York State Senate confirmed Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's nominee for the state's Tax Appeals Tribunal, according to a statement from the governor's office.
-
June 11, 2024
Colo. To Allow Tax Credits For Gifts Through Intermediaries
Colorado will allow taxpayers to claim income tax credits for charitable gifts made through certain intermediaries instead of directly to qualifying organizations under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
-
June 11, 2024
NJ City's Watershed Property Is Subject To Tax, Court Says
An undeveloped property in West Milford, New Jersey, that's owned by Newark was properly valued by West Milford, as the property is a watershed subject to tax, the New Jersey Tax Court ruled.
-
June 11, 2024
Texas General Revenue Up $263M From Last Fiscal Year
Texas brought in $263 million more in general revenue from September through May than it did during the same period last fiscal year, the state comptroller's office said.
-
June 11, 2024
Conn. Man's Land Not Used For Farming, Appeals Court Finds
A tax assessor in Connecticut properly declassified a property owner's land as farmland, the state's appellate court ruled in an opinion released Tuesday, affirming a trial court's finding that the property was no longer used for farming.
-
June 11, 2024
No Tax Owed On Mailed Ads, Insurer Tells Mich. Appeals Court
Advertisements mailed for a Michigan insurance provider by an out-of-state direct-mail contractor should not incur the state's use tax, the insurer told a state appeals court Tuesday.
-
June 11, 2024
Global Combined Reporting Catches States' Eyes, Expert Says
States in the last two years are showing interest in worldwide combined reporting at a level not seen in decades, a tax expert said.
-
June 11, 2024
Ohio Revenue Through May Misses Estimate By $1B
Ohio general revenue fund receipts from July through May totaled roughly $1 billion less than expected, according to the state's Office of Budget and Management.
-
June 11, 2024
State Tax Agencies Should Eye Chevron Cases, Official Says
Although the concept known as Chevron deference refers to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous laws, state tax officials should be paying close attention to the outcome of two cases that could overturn or significantly weaken Chevron as soon as Thursday, an official said.
-
June 11, 2024
Kostelanetz Partners Talk Benefits Of Atlanta Tax Firm Tie-Up
Kostelanetz LLP partners Bryan Skarlatos and Todd Welty discuss the firm’s recent combination with Atlanta boutique Welty PC.
-
June 11, 2024
NH General Revenues Beat Budget Forecast By $143M
New Hampshire general revenue collection from July through May was $143 million higher than projected, according to the state Department of Administrative Services.
-
June 11, 2024
La. Will Allow Deadline Discretion In Award Of Tax Incentives
The Louisiana Economic Development agency will have discretion when awarding tax incentives to businesses that miss a deadline for reasons beyond their control under a bill signed by the governor Tuesday.
-
June 11, 2024
Vt. Short-Term Rental Tax Proposal Vetoed
A Vermont bill that would have imposed a 3% surcharge on short-term rentals was vetoed by the governor.
-
June 10, 2024
Philly Tax Case Could Give Answers On Reach Of Localities
The U.S. Supreme Court, presented with a Philadelphia resident's claim that the city's refusal to credit her Delaware state taxes paid against her city wage tax liabilities discriminated against interstate commerce, could answer questions about how much agency localities have to tax work performed elsewhere, panelists said Monday.
-
June 10, 2024
Unclaimed Property Group Backs Disney At Mich. High Court
An unclaimed property holder trade organization urged the Michigan Supreme Court to affirm that the state waited too long to demand that Disney and a restaurant company remit unclaimed property, arguing that third-party auditors' lax oversight allowed examinations to languish beyond the statute of limitations.
-
June 10, 2024
NJ Panel OKs Relaxing Worker Location Rules For Tax Credits
New Jersey would permanently loosen the employee location requirement for businesses to qualify for some of the state's tax breaks and grant programs as part of a bill advanced by the Senate Economic Growth Committee on Monday.
-
June 10, 2024
Ariz. Justices Allow Tax On Marriott Loyalty Rewards Stays
A Marriott-branded hotel in Arizona is liable for state taxes on rooms booked through a customer loyalty program, the state's Supreme Court said, upholding a state tax court decision.
-
June 10, 2024
SD Declines To Respond To High Court Use Tax Appeal
The South Dakota Department of Revenue sad it will not file a response in the U.S. Supreme Court to a construction company's petition that argues use tax imposed by the state on movable construction equipment was unconstitutional.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.