State & Local
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October 24, 2024
No Tax Break For Bad Debt Investors, Wash. Justices Say
The Washington State Supreme Court said Thursday that a group of funds that buy and sell distressed credit card debt can't claim a state business tax deduction on investment income because those investments were not incidental to their main business purpose.
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October 24, 2024
Wash. High Court Lets Anti-Tax Ballot Measure Show Impact
Elections officials are permitted to place financial disclosure information next to a Washington state ballot measure that would repeal the state's tax on capital gains, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday, upholding a trial court.
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October 24, 2024
La. Biz Development Office Extends Industrial Tax Break Regs
An emergency rule in Louisiana extended the effectiveness of regulations implementing a recently issued gubernatorial executive order that made several adjustments to the state's industrial tax exemption program.
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October 24, 2024
NY Sales Tax Applies To Some Of Co.'s Brand Services
A Delaware company owes New York sales tax on services it offered that constitute taxable information services, but other services it offered were personal and individual in nature and therefore excluded from tax, an administrative law judge for the state Division of Tax Appeals ruled.
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October 24, 2024
Ohio Board Frees W.Va. Car Dealership From Biz Tax
A Nissan dealership in West Virginia doesn't owe Ohio commercial activity tax despite claims by Ohio's tax department that residents were buying cars there to bring back to the neighboring state, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals said.
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October 24, 2024
Nationwide Asks Mich. Justices To Skip Unitary Tax Case
Nationwide asked the Michigan Supreme Court to deny the state tax agency's application for review of an appellate court's decision that said the insurance company's entities should file their taxes as a unitary group, saying that ruling was consistent with a plain reading of the state's laws.
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October 24, 2024
Conn. High Court Snapshot: $13M Tax Appeals, Will Dispute
The Connecticut Supreme Court's second term of the 2024-2025 season will commence Monday with a dispute over whether an attorney bungled a will that sought to divide a $845,368 TD Ameritrade account among five beneficiaries, only one of whom received any cash.
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October 24, 2024
Utah Revenue Collection In Fiscal Year 2024 Falls $31M
Utah general revenue collection through fiscal 2024 fell $31 million from fiscal year 2023, according to the Utah State Tax Commission.
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October 24, 2024
Indiana Dept. Clarifies Sales Tax Rules For Charity Auctions
Indiana charity auctions that are conducted by auctioneers are exempt from sales tax if the retail merchant at the auction is a qualified nonprofit, according to an updated bulletin by the state Department of Revenue.
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October 24, 2024
RI Revenue Collection Beat Budget Estimates By $76M
Rhode Island general revenue collection from July through September outpaced forecasts by $76 million, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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October 24, 2024
ND General Revenue Up $369M From Estimate
North Dakota general revenue collection surpassed a forecast by $369 million through the first 15 months of the state's biennium, according to the state Legislative Council.
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October 24, 2024
MVP: Sidley's Rachel D. Kleinberg
Rachel D. Kleinberg, a co-leader of the global tax practice at Sidley Austin LLP, headed up a tax team to represent investors in a consortium that led to the $6.05 billion sale of the NFL's Washington Commanders, earning her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Tax MVPs.
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October 24, 2024
Minn. Tax Court Won't Cut Value Of $1M Home
A residential property in Minnesota was correctly valued by a local assessor at about $1 million, the state tax court ruled, saying the owners' sales comparison analysis of the value was insufficient to cast doubt on the county's determination.
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October 23, 2024
Behind The Scenes Of NYC's Film Studio Real Estate Boom
Film and streaming production facilities in New York City are blossoming, spurred on by an explosion in demand for production space from streamers and $7.7 billion in state film tax credits, and attorneys are busy advising on all aspects of financing and developing studios.
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October 23, 2024
COST Urges Justices To Hear IBM, Disney Appeals Of NY Tax
New York's method of taxing IBM and The Walt Disney Co.'s royalties received from foreign affiliates resulted in an unconstitutional discrimination against interstate commerce that warrants U.S. Supreme Court scrutiny, the Council on State Taxation told the justices Wednesday.
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October 23, 2024
Ariz. Court Orders Changes To City Tax Measure Language
Language on a ballot measure in an Arizona city to replace an expiring local sales tax with a new one with a lower rate was misleading, an appeals court said, rejecting the city's statement that the measure would reduce taxes.
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October 23, 2024
Tenn. Revenue Through Sept. Beats Estimate By $103M
Tennessee's revenue collection in August and September totaled $103 million more than a state estimate for that period, the state Department of Finance and Administration reported.
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October 23, 2024
Ark. Tax Appeals Agency OKs Regs To Streamline Procedures
Arkansas adopted amended regulations for the state's recently created Tax Appeals Commission that are intended to streamline the agency's practices and procedures when hearing and deciding tax disputes between taxpayers and the state Department of Finance and Administration, according to a notice published in the state register.
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October 23, 2024
MVP: Sullivan & Cromwell's Eric Wang
Sullivan & Cromwell's S. Eric Wang advised clients on the tax law implications of major deals over the past year, including a transaction that created the largest gas utility company in North America, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 2024 Tax MVPs.
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October 22, 2024
Netflix, DirecTV Win Mo. Video Fee Dispute After Law Change
A Missouri law enacted this year that exempted streaming and satellite television companies from local video service provider fees blocked a class of cities from pursuing the fees from Netflix, DirecTV and similar companies for prior years, a Missouri circuit judge ruled.
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October 22, 2024
Ohio Court Affirms Owner's Liability For Cleaning Co.'s Taxes
The owner of a cleaning company is liable for the business's unpaid taxes despite his claims that he wasn't involved in the company's day-to-day operations, an Ohio appeals court ruled Tuesday, affirming a decision by the state's tax appeals board.
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October 22, 2024
RI Retailer Failed To Pay Tax On Cigars, State Says
A Rhode Island-based tobacco retailer tried to pass off incorrect invoices in an effort to evade the state's tobacco tax, an administrative hearing officer for the state Division of Taxation said.
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October 22, 2024
Ill. Pushes Individual, Biz Income Tax Deadlines After Storms
Illinois postponed various income tax filing and payment deadlines for people and businesses in parts of the state affected by storms and tornadoes in July, according to a news release published by the state Department of Revenue.
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October 22, 2024
Ohio Floats Guidelines For Tax Refund Documentation
Ohio would give its tax department more latitude concerning the creation of income tax refund claim forms and the documentation needed to back up claims as part of a rule proposed Tuesday by the department.
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October 22, 2024
La. Dept. OKs Regs For Oyster Shell Recycling Tax Credit
Louisiana has adopted regulations to implement a refundable credit for restaurants that recycle oyster shells, according to the state Department of Revenue.
Expert Analysis
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OECD Treatment Of Purchased Ga. Film Credits Isn't Peachy
Producers considering Georgia as a prospective location for filming may already be concerned that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's July decision will hamper the eventual 2026 or later sale of their Georgia film tax credits, says Alan Lederman at Gunster.
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A Milestone For Offshore Wind In Maine
Recently signed legislation directing Maine to procure up to 3 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040 offers indisputable promise that the state will soon welcome commercial-scale offshore wind development off its shores, says Joshua Rosen at Foley Hoag.
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Mallory Ruling Doesn't Undermine NC Sales Tax Holding
Contrary to the conclusion reached in a recent Law360 guest article, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Mallory ruling shouldn't be read as implicitly repudiating the North Carolina Supreme Court’s sales tax ruling in Quad Graphics v. North Carolina Department of Revenue — the U.S. Supreme Court could have rejected Quad by directly overturning it, says Jonathan Entin at Case Western Reserve.
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Calif. Policymakers Should Aid Crashing Cannabis Market
As California’s cannabis sector nears the brink of financial collapse, it may be time for the state government to seriously consider potential bailout programs for the embattled industry — though the crisis also presents strategic buying opportunities for those with a high tolerance for uncertainty, says Michelle Mabugat at Greenberg Glusker.
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What Came Of Texas Legislature's Long-Promised Tax Relief
Following promises of historic tax relief made possible by a record budget surplus, the Texas legislative session as a whole was one in which taxpayers that are large businesses could have done somewhat better, but the new legislation is clearly still a positive, say attorneys at Baker Botts.
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Looking Behind The Curtain Of Residential Transition Loans
As residential transition loans and securitizations of such loans grow increasingly popular, real estate stakeholders should take care to understand both the unique features and potential challenges offered by this novel asset class, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Where Tax Policies Go Wrong: SALT In Review
RSM's David Brunori reviews the worst tax policies employed by state and local governments, then critiques recent tax developments in Oregon, New York and Boston.
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Mallory Opinion Implicitly Overturned NC Sales Tax Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review Quad Graphics v. North Carolina Department of Revenue, but importantly kicked the legs from under Quad's outcome a week later, stating in its Mallory decision that the high court has the prerogative to overrule its own decisions, says Richard Pomp at the University of Connecticut.
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Delicious In Conn., Less Tasty In La.: SALT In Review
From Connecticut reducing its beer tax to Louisiana retaining its franchise tax, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Review Of Repatriation Tax Sets Justices On Slippery Slope
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to review the constitutionality of the repatriation tax in Moore v. U.S. has implications for many tax rules involving unrealized amounts and could leave the court on the brink of invalidating large swaths of the Internal Revenue Code, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
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How To Avoid A Zombie Office Building Apocalypse
With national office vacancy rates approaching 20%, policymakers, investors and developers will need to come together in order to prevent this troubling trend from sucking the life out of business districts or contaminating the broader real estate market, say Ryan Sommers and Robyn Minter Smyers at Thompson Hine.
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Ohio Tax Talk: Building On Federal Affordable Housing Credit
Ohio's soon-to-be-implemented low-income housing tax credit could significantly affect the state's affordable housing landscape and influence tax-credit deal financing for these projects, though Senate changes may have dampened the new credit's immense potential, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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Holding These Truths Incontrovertible: SALT In Review
RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news, beginning with "almost irrefutable" observations delivered at a recent tax seminar.