State & Local
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June 05, 2024
Citibank Can't Avoid Paying $6M Wash. Biz Tax
Washington's high court won't spare Citibank from a $6 million business tax bill, declining to revisit a ruling that the bank's money-making activities amounted to a physical presence in the state despite not having any local branches open at the time.
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June 05, 2024
Colo. To Exempt Modular Homes From Sales Tax
Colorado will exempt new modular home sales from state tax under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.
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June 05, 2024
Calif. OTA Says Avis Owes $12.6M Tax On Asset Acquisition
An acquisition by car rental company Avis of an indirect affiliate's vehicle management business does not constitute a merger and is therefore subject to tax, the California Office of Tax Appeals ruled.
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June 05, 2024
Colo. To Allow Tax Credit For Employee-Owned Businesses
Colorado will allow new businesses that are employee-owned to claim an income tax credit for business expenses under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
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June 05, 2024
NY Gov. Indefinitely Halts Manhattan Congestion Pricing
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday shelved congestion pricing just weeks before officials were set to implement a fee for vehicles entering Manhattan's busiest corridor, in a dramatic about-face following intense backlash and litigation from residents and business owners grappling with the high cost of living.
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June 05, 2024
Hawaii To Adjust Income Tax Brackets, Up Standard Deduction
Hawaii will adjust its individual income tax brackets and increase its standard deduction to account for inflation and will exempt certain medical services from the state's general excise tax under bills signed by the governor.
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June 05, 2024
Minn. Justices Back Doctor's Penalty For Frivolous Tax Claim
Minnesota's penalty for filing a frivolous tax claim is constitutional, and the penalty as applied to a nonresident doctor and his wife over nearly $1.2 million in undeclared income is also sound, the Minnesota Supreme Court said Wednesday.
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June 05, 2024
Win May Embolden IRS Use Of Economic Substance Doctrine
The IRS' successful wielding of the economic substance doctrine to characterize multinational telecommunications corporation Liberty Global's sophisticated set of intercompany deals as an abusive tax shelter could encourage the agency to apply similar analysis to even the most basic tax transactions.
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June 05, 2024
Ohio Senate Bill Seeks To Double Film Tax Credit Cap
Ohio would double the amount of film and theater production tax credits it can award annually and eliminate its credit for film and theater capital improvement projects under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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June 05, 2024
Colo. To Look At Federal Taxable Income As State Basis
Colorado is directing its state auditor to evaluate its use of federal taxable income as the basis for state taxable income under legislation signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.
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June 04, 2024
Recreational Marijuana To Be On SD Ballot For 3rd Time
Recreational marijuana advocates have successfully put a measure on South Dakota's November ballot, giving state voters a third shot at legalizing the drug just two years after they declined to do so.
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June 04, 2024
Mastercard Owes $7.7M In SC Income Tax Case, ALJ Rules
Mastercard's network, which allows cardholders to buy goods and services and withdraw money, is its income-producing activity, occurs within South Carolina, and thus obligates the company to pay about $7.7 million in taxes, fees and interest, a state administrative law judge ruled in a decision posted Tuesday.
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June 04, 2024
NY Senate OKs Tax Break For Mobile Internet Access Gear
New York would exempt from property tax equipment used for the transmission and switching of radio signals to provide commercial mobile radio service or mobile internet access service under a bill approved by the state Senate.
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June 04, 2024
Calif. Use Tax Applies To Man's Trading Cards, OTA Says
A California man who bought trading cards from Germany is liable for use tax on the purchase after failing to prove the purchase was made for resale, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled.
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June 04, 2024
Calif. OTA Says Online Retailer Owns LLC Tax Assessment
A Michigan-based company was doing business in California in 2018 and thus was required to file a return and pay the state's annual limited liability company tax, the state Office of Tax Appeals said.
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June 04, 2024
NJ Panel Advances Pilot Program For Prefilled Tax Returns
New Jersey aims to create a pilot program that would allow the state's tax agency to prepare prefilled personal income tax return forms for certain taxpayers under a bill approved by an Assembly committee.
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June 04, 2024
First Citizens Bank Seeks $15M Tax Refund After Bailout
First Citizens bank is seeking a $15 million refund from the North Carolina Department of Revenue stemming from taxes it paid on a federal bailout it received during the mid-2000s financial crisis, according to a filing in the state court.
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June 04, 2024
Pa. Urged To Increase NOL Cap By Chambers Of Commerce
A group of 70 chambers of commerce in Pennsylvania urged state leaders to increase the state's cap on net operating loss deductions, which is currently capped at 40%.
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June 04, 2024
NY Senate OKs 'Noise Tax' On NYC Helicopter Rides
New York state aims to impose a tax on some helicopter and seaplane rides in New York City in a bid to clamp down on noise pollution as part of a bill passed by the state Senate.
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June 04, 2024
Calif. OTA Denies Couple Extra Worthless Stock Deduction
A California couple failed to demonstrate that they were entitled to a greater income tax deduction for worthless stock than the state Franchise Tax Board allowed, the state Office of Tax Appeals said in an opinion released Tuesday.
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June 04, 2024
W.Va. Revenue Through May Up $618M From Estimates
West Virginia revenue collections from July through May were $618 million over government estimates, according to the state Budget Office.
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June 04, 2024
Calif. OTA Rejects Couple's Claim Of Bolivia Residency
A California couple owes additional state income tax on a retirement account distribution, the state Office of Tax Appeals said in an opinion released Tuesday, rejecting the pair's assertion that they were domiciled in Bolivia at the time.
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June 04, 2024
Colo. Orders Disclosure Of Info On Local Property Tax Levies
Local jurisdictions in Colorado will be required to provide certain information about their property tax levies under legislation signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
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June 03, 2024
Treasury Aims To Salvage Corp. Transparency Act At 11th Circ.
The Corporate Transparency Act is a valid exercise of congressional authority to curb money laundering under the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause in the Constitution, the U.S. Treasury Department told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday in a bid to restore the law's reporting requirements.
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June 03, 2024
Missouri Judge OKs Cannabis Tax By Both City And County
Both a city in Missouri and the county that surrounds it can collect a tax on marijuana dispensaries, a state circuit judge found.
Ill. Budget Has Higher Cap On NOLs, Sports Betting Tax Hike
Illinois will extend a cap on corporate net operating loss deductions, increase its sports betting tax and reduce sales tax rebates for retailers under a $53.1 billion fiscal year 2025 budget signed Wednesday by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
La. Officials Aim To Salvage Redo Of Constitution's Tax Rules
An effort to open the door for Louisiana's Legislature to make wholesale changes to the state's tax system might take center stage this summer during a tax-focused constitutional convention that could be called after a broader convention was shelved amid concerns about its scope and pace.
DC Settles Tax Fraud Suit Against Tech Co. Founder For $40M
The District of Columbia will collect $40 million from the founder of a technology and bitcoin holding company to settle a whistleblower complaint that alleged tax fraud, the district's attorney general said Monday.
Editor's Pick
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Law360 Revenue Report Map Tracks Health Of State Coffers
As state coffers fluctuate because of federal pandemic aid drying up, demographics shifting and remote work becoming commonplace, Law360 Tax Authority is providing up-to-date coverage on state tax revenue with the launch of its Revenue Report Map.
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Nev. Sales Tax Revenue In Jan. Rises $23.8M From Last Year
Nevada brought in $23.8 million more in sales tax revenue in January than in the same month last year, the state Department of Taxation said in a monthly report.
Featured Stories
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La. Officials Aim To Salvage Redo Of Constitution's Tax Rules
An effort to open the door for Louisiana's Legislature to make wholesale changes to the state's tax system might take center stage this summer during a tax-focused constitutional convention that could be called after a broader convention was shelved amid concerns about its scope and pace.
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Taxes Take Center Stage In Pot Industry Amid Fed. Policy Shift
The federal government's move to loosen restrictions on cannabis is expected to trigger a wave of mergers and acquisitions structured as asset deals in the industry, especially among struggling retail operations willing to restructure in order to raise profits and lower their tax liabilities.
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Calif. Tax Director Sees AI Aiding Tax Administration
Nicolas Maduros, as director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, is leading an effort to modernize sales tax administration through the use of artificial intelligence. He's also president of the board of trustees of the Federation of Tax Administrators. Law360 spoke to him about both roles.
Expert Analysis
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Ohio Tax Talk: The Legislative Push For Property Tax Relief
As Ohio legislators attempt to alleviate the increasing property tax burden, four recent bills that could significantly affect homeowners propose to eliminate replacement property tax levies, freeze property taxes for longtime homeowners, adjust homestead exemptions annually for inflation, and temporarily expand the homestead exemption, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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Looking South With A Smile: SALT In Review
From Mississippi's long walk toward repealing its personal income tax to a welcome stroke for open government in Kentucky, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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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.
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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.