State & Local
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July 23, 2024
Ariz. Court OKs Hospital District Tax For Legal Costs
A property tax levied to fund an Arizona hospital district's expenses including legal fees was properly authorized and did not require approval by voters, the Arizona Tax Court said, rejecting a suit by a local taxpayer.
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July 23, 2024
Alaska Creates Tax Credits For Cos.' Child Care Expenses
Alaska established a tax credit for expenditures made by businesses to operate child care facilities for employees' children under a bill that became law without the governor's signature.
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July 23, 2024
Ohio Municipal Airport Is Exempt From Tax, Board Rules
An Ohio municipal airport is exempt from property tax despite leasing certain hangars to private individuals, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
SC Revenue Tops Fiscal Year Estimate By $364M
South Carolina's general revenue collection for the 2024 fiscal year was $364 million higher than a budget forecast, according to the state Board of Economic Advisors.
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July 23, 2024
Orrick Hires Ex-Winston & Strawn Tax Partner In Chicago
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced the hiring of a former partner at Winston & Strawn LLP for its renewables tax equity and tax credit team.
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July 22, 2024
US Treasury Working To Extend Pillar 1 DST Compromise
As OECD-led negotiations continue on a taxing rights overhaul known as Pillar One after a missed June deadline, the U.S. Treasury Department is working to extend the political agreement between it and several countries to nullify their digital services taxes once the rights overhaul is implemented.
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July 22, 2024
SC County Can't Create Tax To Fund Private Roads, AG Says
A South Carolina county has the ability to create a special tax district to fund the creation and maintenance of public roads but not private roads, the state attorney general's office said.
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July 22, 2024
Ohio Tax Board Hikes CVS Property Value Back To $2.3M
An Ohio CVS had its valuation wrongly decreased to $1.4 million by the local tax board based on increased depreciation values and inferior comparable properties, the state's tax appeals board said, increasing the value back to $2.3 million.
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July 22, 2024
La. Floats Documentation Rules For Pass-Throughs, NOLs
The Louisiana Department of Revenue proposed regulations that list the information taxpayers must provide when reporting a net operating loss as a nonresident or when claiming a pass-through entity exclusion.
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July 22, 2024
State & Local Tax Policy To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
From a pending ballot measure in Oregon to raise taxes on large businesses to a special session in Nebraska focusing on sales and property taxes, some states could experience significant shifts to their tax systems in the second half of 2024. Here, Law360 examines policies to monitor during the rest of the year.
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July 22, 2024
Ill. Imposes 20-Year Time Limit On Property Tax Refund Claims
A 20-year time limit was set on refund requests that result from final orders of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board under a bill signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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July 22, 2024
Colo. Dept Says No Sales Tax On DNA Test Kits, Analysis
A company's sales in Colorado of DNA analyses and collection kits are not taxable, the state revenue department said in a ruling released Monday, but the company's use of the kits is subject to use tax.
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July 19, 2024
Pa. Bill Seeks Tax Exclusion For Affordable Housing Projects
Pennsylvania would exclude affordable housing projects developed through the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration program from the state's realty transfer tax under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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July 19, 2024
Miss. Justices To Weigh Pipeline's Tax Bill On 3rd-Party Fees
The Mississippi Supreme Court agreed to hear the state tax agency's appeal of a trial court's ruling that negated a use tax assessment on third-party freight charges a pipeline company paid, opting to decide the case instead of sending it to an intermediate appeals court.
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July 19, 2024
NY Ice Cream Store Manager Not Liable For Tax, ALJ Says
The manager of a New York ice cream store is not the person responsible for the store's sales tax assessment, as he didn't have the authority to handle store finances, an administrative law judge said in a determination released Friday.
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July 19, 2024
Ohio Coal Plant Correctly Valued At $13M, Board Rules
A shuttered coal plant in Ohio was properly valued at $13 million, despite the plant owner's assertion that the buildings on the property had no value, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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July 19, 2024
Taxation With Representation: A&O Shearman, Gibson Dunn
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. buys Stelco Holdings Inc., KBR acquires LinQuest Corp., Blue Owl Capital Inc. purchases Atalaya Capital Management LP, and Amphenol Corp. buys two mobile networks units from CommScope.
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July 19, 2024
Ill. Seller Sourcing Fix Adds Fuel To Constitutional Complaints
A bill before Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is being touted as a legislative fix to a contentious state law requiring retailers to base their sourcing methods on whether they are in-state or remote, but challengers of the law say the proposal would exacerbate an issue of unequal treatment.
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July 18, 2024
Neb. Gov. Unveils Plan For Property Tax Cuts
Nebraska's governor on Thursday revealed a plan to cut property taxes ahead of a special session of the state Legislature, proposing a hard cap on property tax increases and the elimination of over a hundred sales tax exemptions.
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July 18, 2024
Tax Pact Board Approves Digital Goods Sourcing Plan
The Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board gave final approval Thursday to a proposal allowing states to apply the highest, lowest or a blended state and local tax rate inside a five-digit ZIP code area to sales of digital goods when buyers aren't required to provide their full address.
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July 18, 2024
Ind. Tax Board Says German Cultural Center Not Tax-Exempt
The Indiana Board of Tax Review determined that an event center owned by an organization that promotes German culture doesn't qualify for a property tax exemption because the property is used for social purposes rather than cultural preservation.
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July 18, 2024
Ind. Tax Board Agrees With $2M Valuation Of Unfinished Home
An Indiana local assessor correctly valued an unfinished mansion at $2.2 million in 2021 and $2.4 million in 2022, a state review board determined after agreeing with the assessor's cost approach.
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July 18, 2024
Ex-Venable Trusts And Estates Partner Joins Stradling In LA
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC announced that it launched a trusts and estates practice with the hiring of an experienced Los Angeles-based partner from Venable LLP.
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July 18, 2024
Pa. Eliminates Tax On At-Home Charging For EVs
Pennsylvania will eliminate the tax on electricity used to charge electric vehicles at private residences and impose an annual fee on some electric and hybrid vehicles under a bill signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
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July 18, 2024
Pa. To Simplify Returns Of Unclaimed Property Below $500
Pennsylvania will allow the state treasurer to automatically return unclaimed property to its verified owners when the property's value is less than $500 under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Expert Analysis
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What Ariz. Ruling Means For Taxation Of Digital Services
The Arizona Supreme Court recently declined to review ADP v. Arizona Department of Revenue, letting stand a state appeals court's ruling that software as a service is a taxable rental of tangible personal property, essentially granting the department of revenue power to tax all digital services, say Karen Lowell and Pat Derdenger at Lewis Roca.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Permanence And Other Elusive Notions: SALT In Review
From a Michigan income tax that may or may not be permanent to a victory in court for online travel companies, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Potential Calamities, Greatly Exaggerated: SALT In Review
From fears of judicial upheaval to a tax break for space travel, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Preparing Your Legal Department For Pillar 2 Compliance
Multinational entities should familiarize themselves with Pillar Two of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPs 2.0 project and prepare their internal legal tracking systems for related reporting requirements that may go into effect as early as January, says Daniel Robyn at Ernst & Young.