State & Local
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September 19, 2025
Miss. Total Revenue Collection Up $48M From Last Year
Mississippi's general fund revenue in July and August outpaced last year during the same period by $48 million, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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September 18, 2025
SC Rules Scaffolding Use For Insulation Isn't Taxable
A customer who hired a contractor to install insulation does not owe sales tax on the rental of scaffolding that the contractor needed to do the job, South Carolina's tax agency said in a private letter ruling released Thursday.
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September 18, 2025
Mich. House Bill Would Levy State's Use Tax On Advertising
Michigan would extend the state's 6% use tax to the use or consumption of advertising services under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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September 18, 2025
Auto Co. Accuses Conn. Revenue Dept. Of Fumbling Depos
An auto wholesaler accusing Connecticut's tax commissioner of levying a double tax on warranties attached to vehicles sold out of state wants the Department of Revenue Services sanctioned for failing to properly prepare two witnesses for Sept. 12 depositions.
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September 18, 2025
Paychex Asks NY Panel To Revive Challenge To Tax Regs
Paychex asked a New York state appellate court to invalidate apportionment regulations that require professional employer organizations to exclude certain expense reimbursements from their tax calculations, arguing that a lower court brushed aside a conflict between the rules and an underlying tax law when it dismissed the case.
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September 18, 2025
DC Council OKs $3B Stadium Deal With Tax Abatements
Washington, D.C., would bring professional football back to the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium site under legislation passed by the city council including bond authorization, tax exemptions and commitments for mixed-use development around the site.
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September 18, 2025
NC Revenue Collection In July Up $140M
North Carolina's general revenue collection in July beat last year's total in the same month by $140 million, according to the state controller's office.
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September 17, 2025
Tribal Members Tell 9th Circ. Tariff Suit Belongs In Fed. Court
Counsel for members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe told the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday their suit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs should stay in federal district courts, where constitutional and congressional claims over tribal commerce must be heard.
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September 17, 2025
Calif. Exempts Wildfire Settlements From Tax
California will offer victims of wildfires an exemption from personal income tax on settlement money received between 2021 and 2029 under a bill signed Wednesday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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September 17, 2025
Spencer Fane Adds Corporate, RE Attys In The Midwest
Spencer Fane LLP announced the addition of two new attorneys in the Midwest this week — a partner joining its corporate and business transactions group and a counsel joining its real estate group.
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September 17, 2025
Ind. Tax Board Upholds Nestle Plant's Valuation
An Indiana manufacturing facility operated by Nestle was accurately assessed in 2018, 2022 and 2023, the state Board of Tax Review said, but the board reverted the building's 2019 through 2021 valuations after finding the assessor failed to justify a more than 5% assessment increase.
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September 17, 2025
Ore. Sen. Again Delays Vote On $4.3B Transportation Tax Hike
For the second time, Oregon lawmakers delayed the final vote on a transportation bill with $4.3 billion in tax and fee increases, as Senate Democrats await the return of a lawmaker facing health issues whose vote may be needed for passage.
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September 17, 2025
Mich. House Bill Seeks Tax Breaks For Tips, OT, Loan Interest
Michigan would follow the new federal tax deductions for certain tip income, overtime and vehicle loan interest under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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September 17, 2025
NY Total Tax Collection Through Aug. Up $5B From Last Year
New York's total tax collection from April through August was roughly $5 billion ahead of forecasts, according to the Department of Taxation and Finance.
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September 16, 2025
CarMax Distorted Business Activity, SC Tells Appeals Court
CarMax used intercompany transactions to distort an entity's business activity and its tax burden in South Carolina, the state's tax agency told an appeals court, urging it to uphold the finding of an administrative law court.
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September 16, 2025
Avalara Investors' Claims Pass Muster After 9th Circ. Revival
A Washington federal judge has allowed a proposed class action to proceed accusing tax software company Avalara Inc. of misleading investors ahead of an $8.4 billion deal to take the company private, but said the suit failed to adequately allege negligence by individual board members, giving investors one week to amend those claims.
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September 16, 2025
Arby's Sale Produced Business Income, Ark. Justices Told
A trial court employed the wrong test in deciding a defunct corporation that was the largest Arby's franchisee didn't earn business income in Arkansas when it sold the brand, the Arkansas tax department told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, arguing for the decision's reversal.
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September 16, 2025
Biz Group Seeks To Invalidate NJ Tax Reg On Online Activities
New Jersey violated the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause by adopting rules that outline when a company's internet activities exceed P.L. 86-272's protections against state income taxes, a business trade group told the state's tax court in a complaint obtained Tuesday by Law360.
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September 16, 2025
Some Mich. Taxpayers May Opt Out Of Electing Into Entity Tax
Michigan taxpayers in their first year of electing into the state's flow-through entity tax may opt out if they wish because of the implications of the federal budget bill, the state Treasury Department announced.
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September 16, 2025
Ore. Tax Court Nixes $14K Deduction For Noncash Donations
An Oregon woman did not establish the fair market value of noncash charitable donations and failed to meet federal substantiation requirements for their deductibility, the Oregon Tax Court said, rejecting her claim for a $14,000 deduction.
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September 16, 2025
Wash. Charitable Limits Don't Apply To Firefighter House Sale
The Seattle Black Firefighters' Association is not a charitable organization, the Washington Court of Appeals said, affirming a lower court ruling that found the house the association occupies is not subject to charitable purpose restrictions.
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September 16, 2025
Loeb & Loeb Opens DC-Area Office With Ex-Reed Smith Attys
Loeb & Loeb LLP announced Tuesday the opening of a new office in Virginia, along with the arrival of an eight-person private client and tax controversy staff formerly of Reed Smith LLP.
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September 16, 2025
Mass. Tax Board Cuts Value Of Biz's Condos Based On Sales
The assessed values of two condominium units in Massachusetts were reduced by the state Appellate Tax Board in a decision released Tuesday, after the board found that both were overvalued when compared with similar properties.
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September 16, 2025
Neb. Net Receipts Through August Top Estimates By $32M
Nebraska's net receipts in July and August were $32 million stronger than forecast, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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September 16, 2025
Mass. Board Reduces Tax Value Of Educational Property
A multiuse educational facility was overvalued by a local assessor, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said in a decision released Tuesday, cutting its valuation by about $400,000.
Expert Analysis
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ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'
The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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Can Companies Add Tariffs Back To Earnings Calculations?
With the recent and continually evolving tariffs announced by the Trump administration, John Ryan at King & Spalding takes a detailed look at whether those new tariffs can be added back in calculating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization — an important question that may greatly affect a company's compliance with its financial covenants.
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Driving The Wrong Way: SALT In Review
From Arizona's move to ban mileage taxes to interstate disputes over the taxing of remote workers, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work
Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.
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Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients
Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm
My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.
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Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System
The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.
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Del. Dispatch: General Partner Discretion In Valuing Incentives
In Walker v. FRP Investors, the Delaware Court of Chancery recently held that the general partner of a limited partnership breached its obligations when determining the threshold value of newly issued incentive units, highlighting the court's willingness to reconstruct what a reasonable determination of value by a general partner should have been, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing
Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard
District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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One Singular, Sensible Rate: SALT In Review
From Ohio's move toward a flat income tax to a New York City mayoral candidate's proposal to fund expanded public benefits, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication
As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
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When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility
As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.