State & Local
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June 06, 2025
PE Firms Are Top Opportunity Zone Investors, Report Finds
A group tracking private equity activity said each of the 15 largest investors in the federal opportunity zone program are private equity firms, with Salt Lake City, Utah-based Bridge Investment Holdings topping the list with $3.7 billion in opportunity zone funds.
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June 05, 2025
Mich. Judge Trims Property Owners' Foreclosure Surplus Suit
A Michigan federal judge trimmed a proposed class action filed by former property owners who accused Wayne County of wrongfully refusing to pay them surplus proceeds from tax foreclosure sales.
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June 05, 2025
Tax Judges Call For Fairness In Deference Questions
Tax law generally gives deference to state government institutions, but good evidence presented by taxpayers can overcome those presumptions and enable judges to exercise discretion, tax court judges said Thursday.
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June 05, 2025
Tenn. To Add New Tax To CBD And Delta-8 Products
Tennessee is set to impose a new wholesale tax structure on hemp-derived THC products, eliminating its 6% retail sales tax at the beginning of 2026, according to a notice published Thursday.
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June 05, 2025
Calif. Senate OKs Expansion Of Film Tax Credit
California would allow animated films and a wider variety of TV shows to claim the state's film and TV tax credit under an expanded version of the credit passed by the state Senate.
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June 05, 2025
Mo. Gov. Adds Property Tax Cap To Special Session Agenda
Missouri's governor announced additional goals for a special session that began this week, including asking lawmakers to put an annual cap on residential property value increases.
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June 05, 2025
NH Revenue Misses Forecast By $36M Through May
New Hampshire's general fund revenue collection from July through May underperformed a forecast by $36 million, according to the state Department of Administrative Services.
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June 05, 2025
Ohio House OKs Small-Biz Employee Healthcare Tax Credit
Small businesses in Ohio would be able to claim a personal income tax credit for providing employees with聽an individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement under a bill passed by the state House of Representatives.
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June 05, 2025
Iowa Revenue Through May Falls $745M From Last Year
Iowa's general fund revenue collection for July through May dropped $745 million from last fiscal year's collection during that period, according to a report by the state Department of Management.
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June 05, 2025
Calif. Assembly OKs Exemption For Returned Tribal Land
California land that is transferred to a federally recognized Native American tribe would be exempt from state real estate transfer tax under a bill passed in the state Assembly.聽
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June 05, 2025
Vt. Revenues Surge $225M, Income Taxes Lead Growth
Vermont's general fund revenue collection from July through April outpaced last year for the same period by $225 million, according to the state Agency of Administration in a report released Thursday.
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June 05, 2025
Ore. Senate OKs Barring Farm Tax Break For Illegal Pot Grows
Oregon would disqualify land from special agricultural tax assessments if the owner is found to be illegally growing marijuana on it under legislation passed unanimously by the state Senate and headed to the House.
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June 05, 2025
La. Lawmakers OK State, Local Sales Tax Break Requirement
Louisiana would require new sales and use tax exemptions to apply to both state and local sales tax under a bill approved by state lawmakers and headed to the governor.
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June 05, 2025
Justices Fault Wis. For Denying Tax Break To Charities
Wisconsin discriminated against a group of Catholic charities when it denied them an unemployment tax exemption, the U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday, rejecting the state's argument that the charities were not operated primarily for religious purposes.
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June 04, 2025
Judge Ponders If Netflix's Tax Theory Is 'Too Philosophical'
A Colorado appellate judge on Wednesday wondered if Netflix's argument for why its subscriptions are not subject to state sales tax is "too philosophical" and doesn't reflect its actual transactions with customers, at a hearing in the state's appeal.
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June 04, 2025
Va. Supreme Court Won't Review Partnership Tax Dispute
The Virginia Supreme Court refused to take up an appeal by the state's tax agency of a ruling that rejected its use of a blended apportionment formula to calculate a corporate partner's tax liability on income from a minority partnership interest.
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June 04, 2025
Senate May Clash With House On SALT Cap, Energy Credits
Senate Republicans are working to finalize the chamber's version of the House's nearly $4 trillion tax bill, and the Senate's bill is likely to conflict with the House's over proposed changes to the state and local tax deduction and green energy credits.
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June 04, 2025
Calif. OTA OKs $300K Penalty On Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank did not show cause to have a California tax agency abate more than $300,000 in penalties for the 2021 tax year, the state's Office of Tax Appeals ruled.
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June 04, 2025
Mo. Appeals Court Upholds City Tax On REIT's Rental Income
Healthcare real estate investment trust Ventas Inc.'s receipt of rental income earned from four medical office buildings in Kansas City, Missouri, is a business activity subject to the city's earnings tax, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled, affirming a lower court decision.
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June 04, 2025
Boston Condo Owned By LLC Wins Partial Exemption
A Boston condominium owned by a single-member limited liability company is eligible for a partial tax exemption as a primary residence, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said in an opinion released Wednesday, reversing the determination of the city board of assessors.
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June 04, 2025
Wis. Court Says PL 86-272 Can't Shield Fla. Travel Co.
A Florida-based travel service can't claim P.L. 86-272聽barred Wisconsin's taxation of the company's activities in the state, a Wisconsin appeals court ruled, backing a corporate income and franchise tax assessment by the state's tax agency.
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June 04, 2025
Ohio Justices Told State Tax Commish Overvalued Pipeline
The Ohio tax commissioner overvalued a pipeline, and the state tax appeals board erred in adopting that valuation instead of coming up with its own value, a pipeline company told the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday.
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June 04, 2025
Mass. Board Upholds Home Value Despite Owner's Claims
A Massachusetts homeowner's claims of groundwater contamination, nearby illicit activities and noxious odors fell short of the evidence needed to reduce the property's tax valuation, a state board said in an opinion released Wednesday.
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June 04, 2025
Ohio Justice Questions School Board's Tax Appeal Claim
An Ohio justice criticized a school board's claim that state law allows it to appeal administrative property valuation rulings to county courts when the board doesn't own the property at issue.
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June 04, 2025
Texas Revenue Through May Up 2.4% From Last Year
Texas' revenue collection from September through May outpaced the total for the same period last fiscal year by 2.4%, according to the state comptroller of public accounts.
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鈥檒l 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聽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 鈥� framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard 鈥� which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews聽at聽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 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� 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.