State & Local
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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 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.
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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 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.
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June 04, 2025
Fla. Net Revenue Through April Beat Estimates By $276M
Florida's net general revenue collection from June through April finished ahead of government forecasts by $276 million, according to a report by the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
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June 04, 2025
Ore. Ride-Hailing Driver Partly Denied Mileage Deductions
An Oregon ride-hailing driver who contracted with Uber, Lyft and others is not eligible for certain income tax deductions for vehicle mileage because he did not provide the required documentation, the state's tax court ruled.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan
Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.