State & Local
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May 15, 2025
Ohio Court Upholds Home's $450K Value Based On Sale
The Ohio tax appeals board didn't err in determining that a couple's home was correctly assessed at $450,000 based on its 2020 sale price, a state appeals court said in an opinion released Thursday.
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May 15, 2025
Texas Will Exempt Stock Exchange Operators From Tax
Texas will exempt security exchange operators from the state's franchise tax under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
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May 15, 2025
Conservatives Challenge Title Of Colo. Tax Cut Initiative
A proposed Colorado ballot measure to reduce the state income tax rate by one-hundredth of a percentage point was assigned an unlawfully confusing title by a state board, the conservative activists behind the initiative charged in a petition to the state Supreme Court.
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May 15, 2025
Pa. House Advances Energy Tax Credits
Pennsylvania would update an economic development tax credit program to offer incentives to electric-generating and hydrogen facilities, among other energy projects, under a bill passed by the state's House.
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May 15, 2025
House Plans Vote On Budget Bill With Tax Package Next Week
Republican leaders in the House plan to hold a vote next week on the chamber's budget bill that includes the GOP's $3.8 trillion tax package, with the aim of sending the legislation to the Senate before Memorial Day, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith said Thursday.Â
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May 15, 2025
Minn. Justices Affirm $9M Medical Building Tax Valuation
A Minnesota medical building was correctly valued by the state tax court, the state Supreme Court said Wednesday, affirming a decision that boosted the building's original valuation by more than $1 million.
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May 15, 2025
Hawaii Justices Won't Review Honolulu Property Class Case
The Hawaii Supreme Court declined to review an appellate court decision that found a special Honolulu property class did not violate the state and country's equal protection clause.
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May 15, 2025
Okla. Revenue Through April Beats Estimate By $144M
Oklahoma general fund revenue from July through April outpaced a forecast by $144 million, according to a report by the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
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May 15, 2025
Ill. Revenue Beats Budget Forecast By $58M
Illinois general fund revenue collection from July through April edged higher than a budget forecast by $58 million, according to the governor's Office of Management and Budget.
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May 15, 2025
Tenn. Extends Sales And Use Tax Break For Broadband Gear
Tennessee extended by two years a sales and use tax exemption for equipment used to produce broadband services under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 15, 2025
Wis. General Revenues Through April Up $512M
Wisconsin's general purpose revenue collection from July through April was $512 million higher than last year during the same period, according to the state Department of Revenue.
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May 14, 2025
House Panel To Fold $3.8T Tax Overhaul Into Budget Package
The House Budget Committee has scheduled a vote Friday on legislation that would combine the House Ways and Means Committee's $3.8 trillion tax bill with the work of other House committees as part of the fiscal 2025 budget reconciliation bill.Â
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May 14, 2025
Wisconsin Lake Homeowners Amend Tribal Tax Burden Suit
Four lake homeowners and an association have amended a suit against local governments in the Menominee reservation in northern Wisconsin, claiming the tribe has sought to grow the amount of tax-exempt land while leaving owners of taxable homes to pay more than their fair share.Â
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May 14, 2025
Newsom Blames 'Trump Slump' As Calif. Faces $12B Shortfall
California's fiscal situation has changed for the worse since January, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday, putting the blame on what he said was a "Trump slump" that has resulted in lower capital gains tax collections.
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May 14, 2025
SC Justices Probe Law For Ambiguity In Amazon Tax Fight
Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court seemed focused Wednesday on whether there was ambiguity in a 2011 law that the state's tax department and lower courts said compelled Amazon to collect and remit sales tax before the landmark Wayfair decision.
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May 14, 2025
Ore. Senate Panel OKs Renewed Historic Preservation Credit
Oregon would reauthorize a historic preservation tax credit and limit it to commercial properties under legislation advanced by a state Senate panel.
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May 14, 2025
NJ's 2025 Revenue Forecast Revised Higher
New Jersey's tax revenue collection so far this fiscal year has been better than expected, the state's treasurer told the state Assembly Budget Committee on Wednesday, saying her department would increase its revenue forecast for both fiscal year 2025 and 2026.
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May 14, 2025
Pa. April Collections Surpass Estimate By $363M
Pennsylvania's general fund collections for April were $363 million higher than the state's estimate, finishing at $6.2 billion, the state Department of Revenue said in a report.
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May 14, 2025
Minn. House Bill Seeks 10-Cent Plastic Bottle Tax
Minnesota would impose a 10-cent tax on plastic beverage bottles, with the funds dedicated to water and sewer infrastructure projects, under legislation introduced Wednesday in the state House.
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May 14, 2025
Ga. Gives Income Tax Exclusion For Disaster Relief Payments
Georgia authorized a state income tax exclusion for eligible disaster relief or assistance grant program payments for agricultural damage wrought by Hurricane Helene under a bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
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May 14, 2025
Ore. Riverfront Parcel Overvalued, State Tax Court Finds
An Oregon riverfront property was overvalued by $12,000 in tax year 2022-23, the Oregon Tax Court said, lowering its real market value while rejecting the owner's arguments for a much deeper cut.Â
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May 14, 2025
Ohio Revenues Through April Beat Estimates By $533M
Ohio's total revenues from July through April proved to be $533 million ahead of estimates, according to a report by the state Office of Budget Management.
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May 14, 2025
Alabama Will Offer Workers 30-Day Safe Harbor
Certain workers who spend 30 days or less per year performing their duties in Alabama will be exempt from income tax under a bill signed by the governor Wednesday.Â
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May 14, 2025
Minn. School Can Skip Accrediting For Tax Break, Court Says
A Minnesota school seeking a property tax exemption as an educational entity is not required to show accreditation by an outside organization to qualify for the break, the state tax court said.
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May 13, 2025
Pa. Court Debates RGGI Membership Without Lawmakers' Nod
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed if a law empowering the state's environmental regulator equated to securing legislative approval to join a multistate Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, with the state justices noting Pennsylvania is the only member to join without lawmakers' blessing.
Expert Analysis
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An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025
As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
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Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team
In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.
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When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US
As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.
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The Right Direction Is South: SALT In Review
From Louisiana's tax overhaul to the Mississippi governor's quest to repeal the individual income tax, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School
Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.
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Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware
Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out
In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity
Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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California Supreme Court's Year In Review
Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.
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Meeting A New Tax Across The River: SALT In Review
From New York's revised congestion pricing for lower Manhattan to the reality of artificial intelligence in tax administration, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.