State & Local
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October 18, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Baker, Simpson, Ropes
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Lundbeck inks a $2.6 billion cash deal for Longboard, Silver Lake agrees to buy Zuora for $1.7 billion, and PPG and American Industrial Partners reach a $550 million deal.
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October 18, 2024
Mass. Tax Dept. Floats Limits On Amnesty For Nonfilers
Massachusetts taxpayers seeking amnesty under a coming program would not be eligible for the program's three-year look-back limit for nonfilers if the state tax department had certain contacts with them, according to a draft notice on the program.
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October 17, 2024
Wash. Justices Say No Addresses Needed For Tax Ballot Items
Washington's secretary of state didn't need to check addresses when validating signatures for five voter initiatives slated for the November ballot, including measures to repeal the state's capital gains tax and to bar income taxes, the state Supreme Court said Thursday.
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October 17, 2024
Illinois Ballot Measure May Reinvigorate Graduated Tax Talks
An Illinois ballot measure that will gauge public interest in imposing a higher tax rate on millionaires to fund property tax relief appears primed to rekindle debates over whether the state's constitutional requirement for a flat income tax should be repealed.
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October 17, 2024
NY Hotel Biz Stuck With $15M Tax Bill After Deductions Denied
A corporation that refurbishes hotels in New York is liable for about $15 million in taxes, a state tribunal said in a decision released Thursday, affirming a ruling that the state's tax agency correctly denied deductions sought by the company.
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October 17, 2024
Mont. Tax Board Upholds Assessment On Storage Facility
The owner of a Montana commercial property used to house storage units was unable to lower its value because the state Tax Appeal Board gave more weight to the state Department of Revenue's valuation using an income analysis.
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October 17, 2024
Ill. Revenue Collection Through Sept. Lags Forecasts By $12M
Illinois' general fund revenue collection from July through September came in below forecasts by $12 million, according to a report by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget.
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October 17, 2024
Idaho Revenue Through Sept. Exceeds Forecast By $66M
Idaho's general fund revenue from July through September beat an estimate by $66 million, the state Division of Financial Management said.
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October 17, 2024
Ore. Tax Dept. Not Bound By IRS Errors, Court Says
Oregon's tax department is not bound by erroneous adjustments made by the Internal Revenue Service to a couple's income tax return, the state's tax court said, saying state law allows the department to adjust state returns.
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October 17, 2024
Conn. Net Revenue Through Sept. Beats Last Year By $123M
Connecticut's net revenue collection from July through September was $123 million higher than it was during the same period last year, according to the state Department of Revenue Services.
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October 17, 2024
Polsinelli Hires McDermott Tax Counsel In DC
Polsinelli PC has hired an attorney who joined the firm's tax group as a shareholder after 12 and a half years with McDermott Will & Emery LLP.
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October 16, 2024
Utah Groups Can't Scrap Corporate Transparency, US Says
A Utah federal court hasn't seen sufficient evidence to block the Corporate Transparency Act's disclosure requirements in presentations by an off-the-grid community, an online meat market and a trade group for cattle producers that have sued over the statute, the federal government said.
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October 16, 2024
Ex-Alderman Can't End Supervised Release For Tax Crime
A former Chicago alderman and attorney who was convicted of tax evasion cannot terminate his court-ordered supervised release, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
Minn. Urges State High Court To Bless $9M DuPont Tax Bill
Minnesota treated DuPont's foreign currency hedging activities correctly in determining apportionment, the state's revenue commissioner told the state Supreme Court, urging it to uphold a $9 million tax court judgment against the company.
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October 16, 2024
NY Tax Collections Through Sept. Up $3B From Last Year
New York's net tax collection from July through September outpaced last year during the same period by $3.1 billion, according to a report by the state Department of Taxation and Finance.
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October 16, 2024
Ky. Revenue Through Sept. Up $50M From Last Year
Kentucky general fund revenue from July through September totaled $50 million more than it did during the same period last year, according to the Office of State Budget Director.
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October 16, 2024
NC Revenue Through Aug. Up $101M From Last Year
North Carolina's total revenue for July and August was $101 million higher than during the same period last fiscal year, according to the Office of State Controller.
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October 16, 2024
Mich. Tribunal OKs Wells Fargo Tax Credit Requested By Mail
Michigan's tax department must allow Wells Fargo Rail Co.'s mailed claim for a property tax credit for maintenance of its railcars, a state tax panel ruled, ordering a $172,000 refund for the company.
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October 15, 2024
Microsoft's Cost-Share Tax Arguments 'Deficient,' Mich. Says
Microsoft failed to adequately flesh out its arguments that cost-sharing agreement receipts from affiliates should be included in its Michigan apportionment formula as licenses of intellectual property, the state's tax agency argued in asking the Michigan Tax Tribunal to toss the company's case.
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October 15, 2024
Pa. Dept. Clarifies Taxation Of Software Sales
Pennsylvania sales tax applies to sales of software that is "canned," or prewritten, because such software is considered tangible personal property, the state Department of Revenue said in guidance.
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October 15, 2024
Texas Overreaches In Data Processing Tax Plan, COST Says
Amending Texas' tax rules to clarify that some data processing services are subject to the state's sales tax represents an expansion of the Texas sales tax base without legislative backing, the Council on State Taxation said in comments on a proposed state amendment.
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October 15, 2024
Colo. Panel Advances Sales Tax Search Engine Plan
Colorado's online sales and use tax license and exemption certificate search engine would expand to allow searches using a retailer's and federal identification number under a proposed bill advanced to next year's legislature by an oversight panel Tuesday.
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October 15, 2024
New ABA Tax Chair Wants To Revamp Practice's Dry Image
The new chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation told Law360 she wants to boost the section's recent efforts to revamp the tax practice's image as a boring, numbers-intensive profession with limited opportunities to improve society and inspire more students to enter tax law. Here, she shares her background and goals for the tax section.
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October 15, 2024
V&E Adds Energy Tax Pro From Bracewell In Houston
Vinson & Elkins LLP has bolstered its energy transition and tax practices with a partner in Houston who came aboard from Bracewell LLP and whose background includes substantial in-house experience advising on renewable projects.
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October 15, 2024
Colo. Panel Advances Tax Audit Confidentiality Proposal
Colorado would impose increased confidentiality standards on third parties conducting sales tax audits on behalf of local jurisdictions, including potential misdemeanor criminal charges for violators, under draft legislation forwarded Tuesday to the 2025 Legislature by an oversight panel.
Expert Analysis
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AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys
The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.
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Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners
Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics
Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.
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It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers
Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.
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Frames Of Deference: SALT In Review
From a challenge to New York state regulations that follows on the end of Chevron deference to a court ruling siding with the Nebraska Revenue Department's view of a tax deduction, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Local Taxes And Repercussions: SALT In Review
From a study of local taxes to news that corporations will relocate to tax-friendlier places, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis
There is a wide array of financial incentives and assistance that the government can provide to both real estate developers and individuals to chip away at the housing affordability problem from multiple angles, say Eric DeBear and Madeline Williams at Cozen.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
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Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.