State & Local
-
September 11, 2024
Top DC Real Estate News From Summer 2024
Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of Washington, D.C., this summer, including shifting office footprints and building conversion incentives.
-
September 11, 2024
House Tax Panel OKs Repeal Of $600 Reporting Threshold
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced several bills Wednesday, including one that would repeal a law requiring peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to report aggregate payments of $600 or more.
-
September 11, 2024
Mass. Jury Weighs Raft Of Fraud Charges Against Ex-Pol
A Boston federal jury resumed deliberations Wednesday in a criminal case alleging a former Massachusetts state senator lied on his taxes and an application for pandemic unemployment aid, after the ex-politico testified in his own defense.
-
September 11, 2024
Bipartisan House Bill Would Make Short Rail Credit Permanent
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would permanently extend a tax credit for regional and short-line railroads that expired at the end of 2017, according to an announcement Wednesday.
-
September 11, 2024
McCarter & English Recruits EY Tax Pro In New Jersey
McCarter & English LLP has bulked up its tax and employee benefits team in New Jersey with a longtime Ernst & Young expert at a time when the Garden State's business community is bracing for regulations on a series of corporate tax reforms.
-
September 11, 2024
Latham Hires Senior Tax Pro From Travers Smith In London
Latham & Watkins LLP said on Wednesday that it has recruited a former head of tax at Travers Smith LLP for its office in London, a blow for the U.K. law firm, which has been hit by the departure of a series of partners.
-
September 10, 2024
Corp.'s Stock Transfer Lacked Business Purpose, OTA Affirms
The California Office of Tax Appeals upheld the Franchise Tax Board's denial of a company's $10 million deduction for the transfer of stock to a settlement fund, saying the transaction lacked economic substance.
-
September 10, 2024
Ex-Conn. Town Atty Slams Official's Defamation Suit Defense
The former attorney for Newington, Connecticut, and the town's tax assessor bickered over whether the latter's allegedly defamatory sentiments linked to now-dismissed ethics complaints were made publicly, with the lawyer insisting the statements were made to select groups of individuals and therefore weren't motivated by concern for the municipality's citizens.
-
September 10, 2024
Manatt Phelps Grows Pot Practice With Special Counsel Hire
Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP on Tuesday revealed the latest expansion of its cannabis and CBD practice, saying it has hired a former Barclay Damon LLP attorney who specializes in corporate, tax and regulatory issues for clients including retail dispensary licensees, cultivators and multistate operators.
-
September 10, 2024
House Panel To Consider Axing $600 Payment Reporting Law
The House Ways and Means Committee is set to consider legislation Wednesday that would repeal a law requiring peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to report aggregate payments of $600 or more, among other bills.
-
September 10, 2024
IRS Extends Tax Deadlines For NY, Conn. Storm Victims
Victims of severe storms and flooding in New York and Connecticut will have more time to file some tax returns and make estimated payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday.
-
September 09, 2024
Tax Panels Face Personnel Changes Ahead Of TCJA Debate
The House and Senate tax-writing committees are both set to lose veteran lawmakers in the next Congress, changing the dynamic on the panels as they gear up for a major fight next year over the fate of the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
-
September 09, 2024
Missouri County Urges Appeals Court To Uphold Cannabis Tax
Missouri's constitution provides that local governments may impose an additional retail sales tax on marijuana, and a dispensary's argument that a county may not do so because it sometimes does not qualify as a local government should be rejected, a county told an appeals court.
-
September 09, 2024
Miss. Biz's Transactions Tax Exempt, State Justices Told
A Mississippi business that operates seasonally selling Christmas trees and fireworks told the state Supreme Court that its transactions were tax-exempt yard sales and a lower court erred in ruling that it was subject to the 7% sales tax.
-
September 09, 2024
Bradley Arant Adds Katten Partner In Dallas
Bradley Arant has hired a six-and-a-half-year veteran of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP who is joining the firm's corporate and securities practice in Dallas as a partner.
-
September 09, 2024
Ohio Issues Finalized Cannabis Tax Administration Regs
Ohio finalized its regulations governing the state's newly legalized cannabis industry, outlining how taxes will be administered, assessed and recordkeeping requirements for businesses as part of a final rule from the state Department of Revenue published Monday.
-
September 09, 2024
Ore. Tax Court Denies Homestead Break For Property
An Oregon homeowner was ineligible for a homestead property tax deferral, the state tax court said, because he did not occupy the home for five years, it was subject to a reverse mortgage and its value topped the county median.
-
September 09, 2024
Ore. Tax Court Nixes Parcel Owners' Bid To Raise Valuation
The Oregon Tax Court rejected an attempt by owners of a property to increase its tax valuation, saying the owners failed to show they were aggrieved by the valuation and did not first appeal to the local assessment board.
-
September 09, 2024
Colo. Co.'s Gov't Sales Were In Other States, Tax Dept. Says
Sales by a Colorado company to the U.S. government of products delivered to other states are sourced to those states despite storage and final inspection in Colorado, the state revenue department said.
-
September 06, 2024
Calif. Gov. Targets Hemp Intoxicants With Emergency Ban
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced emergency regulations banning products derived from industrial hemp that contain any intoxicating cannabinoids, and setting an age minimum of 21 years to purchase hemp products.
-
September 06, 2024
Federal Tax Policies To Watch In The Rest Of The Year
As Congress returns to Washington, D.C., after the August recess, proposals including disaster tax relief and an agreement to provide tax treaty-like benefits to Taiwanese residents could be readied to be included in year-end legislation. Here, Law360 examines federal tax policies to watch during the last four months of 2024.
-
September 06, 2024
NY Tax Dept. Urges Nix Of Paychex Apportionment Challenge
Paychex's bid to invalidate a New York state income apportionment rule is premature because an audit of the company isn't yet final, the state's tax agency argued Friday as it urged a state court to toss the case.
-
September 06, 2024
Pipeline Co. Renews NJ Partnership Fee Fight In State Court
A pipeline business opted not to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of a ruling blocking it from challenging New Jersey's partnership filing fee in federal court, choosing instead to revive its case in the state tax court, the company's attorney confirmed Friday.
-
September 06, 2024
NY Strip Club Owner Appeals $3.9M Tax To High Court
A New York law requiring corporations to pay disputed sales taxes before seeking judicial review violates the U.S. Constitution and state constitution, a strip club owner seeking an appeal of a $3.9 million assessment told the state's highest court.
-
September 06, 2024
Ind. Says Ky. Woman Was Incorrectly Assessed Income Tax
A Kentucky resident who worked for an Indiana-based employer was incorrectly assessed individual income tax because the majority of her gross income was received in her home state, the Indiana Department of State Revenue said.
Expert Analysis
-
A Ministry Of Silly Ideas: SALT In Review
From proposals before a District of Columbia tax revision panel to the defeat of an income tax cut in North Dakota, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.