State & Local
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August 29, 2025
State And Local Tax Takeaways From August
From the Fourth Circuit ruling that a provision in Maryland's digital advertising tax is unconstitutional to new combined reporting rules coming for the District of Columbia, August didn't slow down in the state and local tax arena. Here, Law360 looks at these and other state and local tax highlights from the past month.
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August 29, 2025
Colo. Man Has Extra Time To Redeem Property, Court Says
A Colorado man whose property was subject to a tax auction is allowed to redeem the property outside the three-year statute of limitations, a state appeals court said, finding he had a disability that qualified him for an extended, nine-year time period.
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August 29, 2025
Ore. GOP Starts Session With Calls For Broader Budget Look
Oregon legislators contemplating a $5.8 billion, 10-year transportation funding package should take a broader look at the state's budget in light of a recent report predicting a drop in revenues, Republican lawmakers said Friday.
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August 29, 2025
NY Tenants Claim Cos. Hiked Rents, Abused Tax Exemption
A multifamily real estate company and a property owner were accused by a proposed class in New York state court of illegally raising rents for Long Island City residential tenants by taking advantage of the state's 421-a tax-exemption program.
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August 29, 2025
Wis. Revenues Through Fiscal Year $88M Over Estimate
Wisconsin's general fund revenue collection from June 2024 through July beat estimates by $88 million, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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August 29, 2025
Taxation With Representation: White & Case, Paul Weiss
In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Sycamore Partners completes its $24 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., telecommunications company EchoStar sells wireless spectrum licenses to AT&T and Keurig Dr Pepper acquires JDE Peet's in a deal that aims to create a "global coffee champion."
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August 29, 2025
Mich. General Revenue Jumps $851M From Last Year
Michigan's general fund revenue from October through July outpaced the same period last year by $851 million, according to the state Budget Office.
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August 28, 2025
Colo. Plugs Budget Gaps, Creates Rules For Future Shortfalls
Colorado enacted a series of tax changes and ordered a halt to certain services Thursday to fill holes that state leaders said were left in the state's budget by this summer's federal tax law, while also adopting requirements for how the governor can address future budget shortfalls.
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August 28, 2025
COST Asks Calif. High Court To Review Utility Tax Case
The California Supreme Court should decide whether AT&T unit Pacific Bell and other telecommunication companies can be taxed at a different property tax rate from nonutilities, the Council on State Taxation told the California justices.
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August 28, 2025
Ore. Worker Owes Income Tax On Wages, Court Says
An Oregon woman owes income tax on wages she earned in the state, the state tax court ruled, rejecting her argument that the tax didn't apply to her because she wasn't an employee of the state.
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August 28, 2025
Hawaii Transient Tax Is Unconstitutional, Cruise Cos. Say
The extension of Hawaii's 11% transient accommodation tax to cruise ship passengers under a new law violates the U.S. Constitution, a group of cruise companies told a U.S. district court.
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August 28, 2025
Ind. Co.'s Software Purchases Tax-Exempt, Dept. Says
A construction company operating in Indiana was wrongly taxed on purchases of computer software, the Department of State Revenue said after the business proved that several of the purchases qualified for the state's software-as-a-service exemption.
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August 28, 2025
Ind. Nonprofit Can't Get Tax Refund On Refreshments
Indiana's tax department correctly denied a nonprofit a tax refund for food, drinks and room rentals purchased for an education conference, the Department of State Revenue ruled, because the refreshments were meant for members of the organizations.
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August 28, 2025
Ind. Farmer Can't Get Tax Break For ATV Purchase
An Indiana farmer was correctly denied a sales tax break for an all-terrain vehicle he said was used to spray crops, the state's tax department said, finding he failed to prove the vehicle was used for an exempt purpose.
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August 28, 2025
Texas House OKs Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would lower its maximum property tax rate permitted by law without voter approval for larger taxing jurisdictions under a bill passed by the state House of Representatives.
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August 27, 2025
Ga. Justices Back Income Approach For Low-Income Housing
County tax assessors in Georgia may use a method known as the income approach to determine the fair market value of properties that qualify for federal low-income housing tax credits, the state Supreme Court ruled, reversing an appeals court finding.
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August 27, 2025
Minn. Justices Reject DuPont's Appeal Of $9M Tax Bill
Minnesota's tax department lawfully excluded receipts from currency hedging transactions in its apportionment of the income of chemical company DuPont, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, upholding a state tax court decision and a $9 million assessment against the company.
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August 27, 2025
Calif. Court Affirms Dept. Can Review Co. Sales Before Refund
The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration was within its rights to review a tobacco company's sales documents for excess tax reimbursement before it issued the company an excise tax refund, a state appellate court affirmed.
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August 27, 2025
Baker Botts Adds 2 More Lateral Partners In NY
As it touts the addition of 17 lateral partners this year so far, Baker Botts LLP announced Tuesday that it has gained a former Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP attorney focused on executive compensation and transactional tax strategy and a former McDermott Will & Schulte LLP attorney focused on public company and private equity mergers and acquisitions.
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August 27, 2025
NJ Tax Court Restores Church's Property Tax Exemption
A New Jersey town incorrectly imposed a property tax assessment on a church, the state's tax court ruled in an opinion released Wednesday, rejecting the town assessor's argument that the owner failed to timely file a required form to maintain its tax exemption.
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August 26, 2025
New DC Combined Reporting Rules Coming, Official Says
Updates to Washington, D.C.'s statutes and regulations that would specify how the district's treatment of combined groups will change under a new system in January should start being rolled out over the next few months, an attorney for the district's tax agency said Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
The Tax Angle: Tariff Troubles, Tipped Income
From a look at the impact of rising tariffs on energy tax credits and issues arising from the deduction for taxes on tips, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few developing tax stories.
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August 26, 2025
Colo. Lawmakers OK Selling Tax Credits To Raise $100M
Colorado would sell tax credits to raise up to $100 million to help bridge an expected budget gap under legislation that state lawmakers passed Tuesday, sending the bill to Gov. Jared Polis.
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August 26, 2025
Ohio Board Denies Tax Break For Church's Vacant School
A portion of a church property with a vacant school on it didn't qualify for a tax exemption, even though the property owner stated its intentions to demolish the school, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals said.
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August 26, 2025
Ohio House Bills Seek To End Or Limit Property Taxes
Three bills introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would eliminate property taxes by 2030, allow voters to introduce ballot initiatives to lower property taxes and increase the approval threshold for passage of certain property taxes.
Expert Analysis
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Going The Extra Miles: SALT In Review
From a dispute about the borders of Florida's airspace to proposals that would exempt tips from taxes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Maryland 'Rain Tax' Ruling May Offer Hope For Tax Credits
A Maryland state appellate court's recent decision in Ben Porto v. Montgomery County echoes earlier case law upholding controversial stormwater charges as a valid excise tax, but it also suggests that potential credits to reduce property owners' liability could get broader in scope, says Alyssa Domzal at Ballard Spahr.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Shake-Ups For Courts In Different Fields: SALT In Review
From the end of Chevron deference in the courts to the planned sale of the NBA's reigning champion, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Appeals Court Revisits Leases' Tax Effects
With better facts and greater emphasis on the Kentucky Constitution, Walgreen Co. may succeed in its latest Kentucky Court of Appeals challenge to a tax assessor's method of valuing leaseholds on real property for purposes of determining ad valorem tax, say Mark Sommer and Elizabeth Ethington at Frost Brown Todd.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Reading Between The Lines Of Justices' Moore Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Moore v. U.S. decision, that the Internal Revenue Code Section 965 did not violate the 16th Amendment, was narrowly tailored to minimally disrupt existing tax regimes, but the justices' various opinions leave the door open to future tax challenges and provide clues for what the battles may look like, say Caroline Ngo and Le Chen at McDermott.