State & Local
-
August 28, 2025
Ind. Farmer Can't Get Tax Break For ATV Purchase
An Indiana farmer was correctly denied a sales tax break for an all-terrain vehicle he said was used to spray crops, the state's tax department said, finding he failed to prove the vehicle was used for an exempt purpose.
-
August 28, 2025
Texas House OKs Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would lower its maximum property tax rate permitted by law without voter approval for larger taxing jurisdictions under a bill passed by the state House of Representatives.
-
August 27, 2025
Ga. Justices Back Income Approach For Low-Income Housing
County tax assessors in Georgia may use a method known as the income approach to determine the fair market value of properties that qualify for federal low-income housing tax credits, the state Supreme Court ruled, reversing an appeals court finding.
-
August 27, 2025
Minn. Justices Reject DuPont's Appeal Of $9M Tax Bill
Minnesota's tax department lawfully excluded receipts from currency hedging transactions in its apportionment of the income of chemical company DuPont, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, upholding a state tax court decision and a $9 million assessment against the company.
-
August 27, 2025
Calif. Court Affirms Dept. Can Review Co. Sales Before Refund
The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration was within its rights to review a tobacco company's sales documents for excess tax reimbursement before it issued the company an excise tax refund, a state appellate court affirmed.Â
-
August 27, 2025
Baker Botts Adds 2 More Lateral Partners In NY
As it touts the addition of 17 lateral partners this year so far, Baker Botts LLP announced Tuesday that it has gained a former Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP attorney focused on executive compensation and transactional tax strategy and a former McDermott Will & Schulte LLP attorney focused on public company and private equity mergers and acquisitions.
-
August 27, 2025
NJ Tax Court Restores Church's Property Tax Exemption
A New Jersey town incorrectly imposed a property tax assessment on a church, the state's tax court ruled in an opinion released Wednesday, rejecting the town assessor's argument that the owner failed to timely file a required form to maintain its tax exemption.
-
August 26, 2025
New DC Combined Reporting Rules Coming, Official Says
Updates to Washington, D.C.'s statutes and regulations that would specify how the district's treatment of combined groups will change under a new system in January should start being rolled out over the next few months, an attorney for the district's tax agency said Tuesday.
-
August 26, 2025
The Tax Angle: Tariff Troubles, Tipped Income
From a look at the impact of rising tariffs on energy tax credits and issues arising from the deduction for taxes on tips, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few developing tax stories.
-
August 26, 2025
Colo. Lawmakers OK Selling Tax Credits To Raise $100M
Colorado would sell tax credits to raise up to $100 million to help bridge an expected budget gap under legislation that state lawmakers passed Tuesday, sending the bill to Gov. Jared Polis.
-
August 26, 2025
Ohio Board Denies Tax Break For Church's Vacant School
A portion of a church property with a vacant school on it didn't qualify for a tax exemption, even though the property owner stated its intentions to demolish the school, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals said.
-
August 26, 2025
Ohio House Bills Seek To End Or Limit Property Taxes
Three bills introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would eliminate property taxes by 2030, allow voters to introduce ballot initiatives to lower property taxes and increase the approval threshold for passage of certain property taxes.
-
August 26, 2025
Tax Credit Dispute Sparks $1.3M Lawsuit Against Jersey City
A prominent Garden State developer filed a lawsuit against New Jersey's second-largest city, claiming the city improperly reversed its position on a longstanding tax agreement — demanding nearly $1.3 million in back payments that the developer says it does not owe.
-
August 26, 2025
Calif. Senate OKs New Tax Default Property Sales Rules
California county boards of supervisors would be required to take new steps before approving the sale of a tax-defaulted property under a bill passed by the state Senate.Â
-
August 26, 2025
Mass. Tax Amnesty Generated $140M, Revenue Chief Says
Massachusetts collected more than $140 million in revenue from a 60-day tax amnesty program last year, exceeding the initiative's $100 million forecast, the state Department of Revenue commissioner said Tuesday.
-
August 26, 2025
Maine's Budget, Tax Chief To Retire
The commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services since 2019 will retire from state service, the state's governor announced Tuesday.
-
August 25, 2025
Calif. Pitfall Prompted Mass.'s PL 86-272 Reg, Official Says
A California court's invalidation of guidance narrowing federal tax protections for certain online activities because that state didn't follow the rulemaking process weighed into Massachusetts' decision to propose a regulation to adopt a similar stance, a Bay State tax agency attorney said Monday.
-
August 25, 2025
Ala. Counties Urge Against Changing Remote Seller Tax Rules
Alabama must keep a tax program that allows remote sellers to collect a flat rate and avoid calculating taxes across hundreds of local jurisdictions, a group representing counties in the state said Monday.
-
August 25, 2025
Colo. Lawmakers OK Cuts To Business Tax Breaks
The Colorado Senate gave final passage Monday to a group of bills to cut business tax breaks as part of a package state Democrats say is needed to help fill a budget gap caused by federal tax and spending changes.
-
August 25, 2025
Mich. Judge Backs 125% Recovery In Tax Foreclosure Deal
A Michigan federal judge has given the initial approval to a settlement between a proposed class of former property owners and two counties over allegations that the counties unlawfully kept surplus proceeds from the sales of their tax-foreclosed properties, a deal similar to one the same judge OK'd last week.
-
August 25, 2025
Ind. Tax Court Overturns Kohl's Property Valuation Win
The Indiana Board of Tax Review incorrectly accepted a property appraisal offered by a Kohl's location despite serious flaws in the method, the state tax court ruled, reversing the board and remanding the matter back to it.
-
August 25, 2025
Ex-TSA Attorney Among 3 New Lawyers At Kaplan Kirsch
A former Transportation Security Administration attorney is among three lawyers who recently joined Kaplan Kirsch LLP, a Denver-based law firm that specializes in representing state, local and tribal government agencies on projects such as airport expansions and new rail lines.
-
August 25, 2025
Connecticut Court Backs Ouster Of Tax Atty Over Rogue Email
Connecticut's former tax legal director was properly terminated after she used her work computer to send unauthorized draft legislation from her personal email account to a lobbyist who assumed that it was the state tax department's official position, a Connecticut appeals panel has ruled.
-
August 25, 2025
Pa. Bill Would Repeal Invalid Graduated Income Tax Law
Pennsylvania would formally repeal its graduated income tax that was never allowed to take effect when it passed in 1935 because of the commonwealth's constitutional uniformity clause, under a bill introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
-
August 25, 2025
NY Bill Seeks Property Tax Credits In Certain Jurisdictions
Some New York taxpayers would be eligible for a tax credit of their property tax amount if the taxpayer lives in certain taxing districts under a bill introduced in the state Senate.Â
Expert Analysis
-
7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments
Excerpt from
As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.
-
How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic
The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.
-
5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships
Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.
-
Death, Taxes And Relocations: SALT In Review
From a move to phase out Minnesota's estate tax to proposed inducements for relocating to Alabama and West Virginia, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
-
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
-
Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
-
How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work
Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.
-
Justices' Certiorari Denial Leaves Interstate Tax Questions
Since the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review a Philadelphia resident’s claim that her Delaware state income taxes should be credited against her city wage tax liabilities, constitutional questions about state and local tax distinctions linger, and some states may continue to apply Supreme Court precedent differently, say attorneys at Dentons.
-
A Proposal With Sugar On Top In Mass.: SALT In Review
From a call to exempt candy from sales tax in Massachusetts to an unusual property tax idea in New Jersey, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
-
Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice
A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.
-
In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege
Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.
-
National Bank Act Rulings Facilitate More Preemption Analysis
Two recent National Bank Act preemption decisions from an Illinois federal court and the Ninth Circuit provide the first applications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling in Cantero v. Bank of America, opening the potential for several circuit courts to address the issue this year, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.
-
Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example
Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.