State & Local
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August 04, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would reduce its voter-approval property tax rate, or the rate that a local government unit may adopt without voter approval, for large taxing units under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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August 01, 2025
New Int'l Tax Rules Heighten Discrimination Worries In States
The new federal tax law's broader tax base for international income could magnify foreign commerce discrimination concerns that are already present in states that conformed to prior iterations of the federal tax code.
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August 01, 2025
Va. Dept. Used Incorrect Tax Calculation For Telecom Co.
The Virginia Department of Taxation used the wrong methodology when calculating the tax liability of a telecommunication company owned by a single corporate member, the state tax commissioner ruled, though it concluded that the assessment should not change.
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August 01, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks Permanent Limit For Property Tax Increases
Texas would establish a permanent cap on increases in the appraised value of real property other than residence homesteads for property tax purposes if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the cap, as part of legislation filed in the state House of Representatives.
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August 01, 2025
Va. Commissioner Says Ad Co. Not Liable For Sales Tax
An out-of-state advertising and direct mail company聽using third-party vendors is not liable for Virginia sales and use tax on advertising services, including those provided by third-party vendors, the state's tax commissioner said.
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August 01, 2025
Ind. Dept. Wrongly Denied Refund To Nonresident
A woman was wrongly denied an Indiana income tax refund and assessed additional tax after proving she neither lived nor worked in the state, the Department of State Revenue said.
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August 01, 2025
Ind. Tax Dept. Agrees Remote Worker Abandoned Domicile
A couple who previously lived in Indiana were wrongly denied their full Indiana income tax refund, the Department of State Revenue said, reversing its earlier decision, because evidence was presented showing they had left the state.
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August 01, 2025
Va. Quarry Gear Not Subject To Tools Tax, Ruling Says
Certain property owned by a Virginia limestone quarry operator was not directly used in mining or manufacturing and was therefore not subject to the local property tax on machinery and tools, the state tax commissioner said.
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August 01, 2025
Va. Contractor Can Get Credit For Mistaken Sales Tax
A Virginia business that sells and installs garage doors is entitled to a tax credit for sales tax erroneously remitted on its installation contracts, the state's tax commissioner ruled.
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August 01, 2025
No Va. Sales Tax For Out-Of-State Publisher, Ruling Says
A magazine publisher located outside Virginia does not owe sales and use taxes on its products shipped into the state or on related advertising services, the state tax commissioner said.
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August 01, 2025
Ogletree Launches Employment Tax Practice Group
Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC announced the launch of a dedicated practice group focused on handling employment tax matters in areas such as compliance, audits and transactions related to payroll obligations.
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August 01, 2025
Virginia Hotel Denied Tax Break For Long Stays
A Virginia hotel wrongly sought sales tax exemptions allowed for stays of 90 days or longer before those thresholds had actually been reached by guests, the state's tax commissioner said, rejecting the taxpayer's effort to correct an assessment.
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August 01, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Wachtell, Latham
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announce megamerger plans, Palo Alto Networks acquires identity security company CyberArk, Brookfield buys British life insurer Just Group, and Duke Energy sells its Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee local distribution business to Spire Inc.
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August 01, 2025
Del. Net Receipts Rise $345M From Prior Year
Delaware's net receipts from July 2024 through June exceeded the previous fiscal year's collection by $345 million, the state Finance Department reported.
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August 01, 2025
NY Tax Bill Settled By Partner Who Alleged Double Taxation
A New York resident who is the partner of a Connecticut-based asset management company has chosen to settle her case over the resident income tax credit she was denied in New York.
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July 31, 2025
Uber's Allies Say Georgia Tax Violates Separation Of Powers
Georgia's highest court should review and reverse an appellate panel's decision that Uber was required to collect and remit millions in sales taxes on behalf of drivers and customers who used its app before the Wayfair decision, a professor and business groups told聽the Georgia Supreme Court.
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July 31, 2025
Mich. Supporters Say High Earner Ballot Initiative Moves On
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment in Michigan that would levy an additional 5% tax on income over $500,000 are prepared to move forward in their efforts to put the initiative on the ballot despite a split vote Thursday from an advisory board.
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July 31, 2025
Tax Court OKs IRS Penalties On Captive Insurance Deductions
A Florida business must pay penalties for underreporting six years of income, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Thursday, finding it couldn't take deductions for payments to a microcaptive insurance arrangement that didn't actually qualify as insurance.
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July 31, 2025
La. Board Allows Oil Co.'s Late Appraisal In Assessment Fight
A Phillips 66 oil refinery can submit an appraisal of its property ordered before its assessment challenge was filed even though the company didn't receive the appraisal until after the deadline for evidence, the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals ruled, reversing the state Tax Commission.
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July 31, 2025
Chevron's $14.8M Apportionment Claim Rejected In Oregon
Chevron may not include commodity hedging receipts in apportionment calculations for its Oregon corporation excise taxes, the state's tax court said, rejecting the company's claim for a $14.8 million refund.
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July 31, 2025
Co. Pitches $33B Data Center Hub In Ariz. Opportunity Zone
One of the largest private landowners in Arizona on Thursday pitched a $33 billion project to build the biggest data center industrial park in the state on a 3,300-acre site in a federal opportunity zone.
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July 31, 2025
Ohio Bill Seeks To Allow County Pot Taxes Via Referendum
Ohio would authorize counties to impose an excise tax on the sale of adult-use marijuana if the tax is approved by a majority of voters via a ballot measure in a general or special election under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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July 31, 2025
La. Co.'s Tobacco Wraps Not Subject To Higher Excise Rate
Louisiana's increased tobacco excise tax rate doesn't apply to a tobacco wholesaler's sales of wraps because the wraps are considered nonsmoking tobacco products, the state聽Board of Tax Appeals found, overruling the state Department of Revenue.
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July 31, 2025
Ore. Farm Tax Break Wrongly Denied, Court Says
An Oregon property was wrongly disqualified from a tax break for farm use, the state's tax court said, agreeing with the owners that the county assessor failed to take the required steps for its decision, including a site visit.
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July 31, 2025
Ind. Meat Co. Can Have Use Exemption, Dept. Says In Reversal
An Indiana meat packing company should be allowed a use tax exemption for cooler and freezer equipment because the equipment qualifies for a predominant use exemption, the Department of State聽Revenue said, reversing its earlier determination.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.