State & Local
-
May 05, 2025
Calif. Resident Wins Tax Refund After Storm Extension
A California resident who had been denied a claim for a refund because he filed his taxes too late can have the refund because the state granted additional time after severe winter storms, the Office of Tax Appeals said in an opinion released Monday.
-
May 05, 2025
Minn. Tribe Looks To Weigh In On 3,000-Acre Land Trust Row
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe has asked a Minnesota federal judge to let it file a friend of the court brief in a county's case claiming the U.S. government wrongly accepted more than 3,000 acres of land into trust for the tribe.
-
May 05, 2025
California REIT Co-Founder Owes $1M In Tax, OTA Says
A California co-founder of a real estate investment trust owes about $1 million in additional franchise and income tax for 2003 after selling stock in the trust and other entities and collecting capital gains, the state Office of Tax Appeals said in an opinion released Monday.
-
May 05, 2025
AT&T Drops Challenge To NJ's Denial Of $78.5M R&D Credit
An AT&T entity has moved to drop its protest of New Jersey's denial of its attempt to carry forward nearly $78.5 million in research and development tax credits from closed tax years to an open tax year, according to a state tax court filing.
-
May 05, 2025
Calif. Couple Lose Tax Fight Over Out-Of-State Credits
The California Franchise Tax Board correctly reduced the amount of out-of-state tax credits it allowed a couple to claim, the state's Office of Tax Appeals ruled, saying they failed to provide evidence to the contrary.
-
May 05, 2025
Trump Admin Defends Tariff Power In Toy-Makers' Challenge
President Donald Trump's administration urged a D.C. federal court to deny a request by toy companies to halt global tariffs, arguing the government is authorized to impose trade measures under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
-
May 05, 2025
Hawaii Legislature OKs Increase To Transient Lodging Tax
Hawaii would increase its transient accommodation tax and use the additional revenue to fund climate change mitigation efforts in the state under a bill passed by the Legislature and sent to the governor.
-
May 05, 2025
Fla. Voters To Decide On Property Tax Exemption For Ag Land
Florida will have voters decide via a statewide ballot measure during the state's next general election on a proposed amendment to the state constitution to exempt property on designated agricultural land from taxes under a House joint resolution approved by lawmakers.
-
May 05, 2025
Colo. Senate Approves Employee Biz Ownership Tax Breaks
Colorado would allow new tax breaks, including a $1 million state income tax deduction, to promote employee ownership of businesses under legislation the state Senate approved Monday.
-
May 05, 2025
Mass. Income Tax Cap Plan Halted By Legislative Panel
A proposal for a Massachusetts ballot measure to cap the state's income tax rate at 6.25% was stalled by a state legislative panel.
-
May 05, 2025
Ariz. Gov. Vetoes Tax Law Change, Warns Of Political Risks
Legislation to mandate that Arizona's tax department notify lawmakers if a proposed new interpretation or application of law would adversely affect taxpayers was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
-
May 02, 2025
Charter Ineligible For Tech Tax Break, NY Tells Appeals Court
New York's tax agency urged a state appeals court to affirm its determination that Charter Communications Inc. is ineligible for a reduced tax rate offered to certain technology businesses because some members of its combined group didn't have property in the state.
-
May 02, 2025
State & Local Tax Takeaways From April
The federal law that shields businesses from a state's tax on net income when their only business activities in that state are soliciting orders of tangible personal property was the focus of significant attention in April. Those events were part of another busy month in the state and local tax world. Here, Law360 presents state and local tax developments to know from the past month.
-
May 02, 2025
Alabama Exempts Aircraft, Parts From Sales And Use Taxes
Alabama will exempt qualifying aircraft and aircraft parts from state sales and use taxes under a bill signed by the governor.
-
May 02, 2025
Calif. Cannabis Excise Tax To Rise By 4 Percentage Points
The California cannabis excise tax on gross receipts from retail sales of cannabis will increase from 15% to 19% as a part of a law requiring the rate be adjusted every two years, the state Department of Tax and Fee Administration announced Friday.
-
May 02, 2025
Mass. Board Knocks $36K Off Senior Condo's Tax Valuation
A Massachusetts senior condominium unit was overvalued by $36,000, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled in an opinion released Friday, saying the owner's comparable sales analysis showed the property's valuation was inconsistent with the other properties.
-
May 02, 2025
Miss. Justices Agree Gas Co.'s Freight Charges Not Taxable
The Mississippi Department of Revenue didn't have the authority to tax freight charges paid by a gas transportation company to a third party because they were part of a separate transaction and not the overall purchase, the state Supreme Court ruled.
-
May 02, 2025
Mass. Board Upholds Home's Valuation Despite Comparables
A Massachusetts homeowner cannot have the value of her home lowered after failing to account for the differences between her home and the comparable sales she provided, the state tax appeals board said in a ruling released Friday.
-
May 02, 2025
White House Budget Seeks $2.5B Cut From IRS Funding
The Internal Revenue Service's budget would be cut by nearly $2.5 billion compared with 2025 under the 2026 budget request released Friday by President Donald Trump's administration.
-
May 02, 2025
Arkansas Dept. Says General Revenue Down From Last Year
Arkansas general revenue collection from July through April fell below the same time period last year by nearly $225 million, the state Department of Finance and Administration said Friday.
-
May 02, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Goodwin, Haynes Boone
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Merck buys SpringWorks Therapeutics, Novartis AG acquires Regulus Therapeutics Inc., Sabre Corp. sells its Hospitality Solutions business to private equity shop TPG, and TWG Global and Mubadala Capital team up to bolster their investments.
-
May 02, 2025
Fla. Net Revenue Through March Beat Estimates By $28M
Florida's net revenue collection from July through March exceeded forecasts by $28 million, according to a report from the state's Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
-
May 02, 2025
West Virginia Revenues Beat Forecast By $237M
West Virginia's general fund revenue from July through April exceeded estimates by $237 million but lagged behind last year during the same period by $111 million, according to a report by the state Budget Office.
-
May 02, 2025
Ala. Couple Can't Deduct Costs Incurred Before Biz Operated
A couple who own a running merchandise business in Alabama can't claim a deduction for business expenses incurred before the business was operational, the Alabama Tax Tribunal ruled.
-
May 02, 2025
Michigan Income Tax Rate Cut Triggers Weren't Hit, State Says
Michigan's personal income tax rate will remain at 4.25% for tax year 2025 because revenue triggers that can temporarily reduce the rate weren't hit for the prior fiscal year, the state Department of Treasury said.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.