State & Local
-
March 18, 2025
Bank Groups Push For Permanent Block On Ill. Swipe Fee Law
Banking industry groups moved late Monday to deliver a final blow to an Illinois state law that bans swipe fees on tax and tip portions of payment card transactions, asking a Chicago federal judge to go ahead and finish off the ban before it takes effect this summer.
-
March 18, 2025
Wash. Revenues Through March 10 Beat Forecasts By $56M
Washington state's total general revenue from Nov. 11 through March 10 beat estimates by $56 million, according to a report by the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.
-
March 18, 2025
NY Tax Collections Through Feb. Up $8B From Last Year
New York's tax collection from April through February outpaced last year's total by $8 billion, according to a report by the state Department of Taxation and Finance.
-
March 18, 2025
Tenn. To Cut Shared Tax Revenue For Late Municipal Audits
Tennessee will require municipal governments to timely submit mandatory annual audits to the state comptroller and will impose penalties that reduce the amount of sales tax revenue shared with municipalities that miss the deadline under a bill signed by the governor.
-
March 18, 2025
Minn. Plan For Surplus Revenue Refunds Stalls On Tie Vote
A Minnesota plan to return portions of surplus revenues to taxpayers under a constitutional amendment stalled in the state House as a bill to place that proposal on the ballot fell short of passage with a tie vote.
-
March 17, 2025
Ark. Sale Of Arby's Restaurants Not Biz Income, Judge Rules
A now-defunct corporation that was the largest franchisee of Arby's fast-food restaurants did not earn business income in Arkansas when it sold the brand because it was not in the business of disposing of such property, a state trial court ruled in an opinion obtained Monday by Law360.
-
March 17, 2025
The Tax Angle: Lawmakers Huddle To Mull TCJA
From a look at the three-day legislative retreat held by House Democrats to Ways and Means Republicans meeting behind closed doors to discuss the 2017 GOP tax overhaul, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.
-
March 17, 2025
Md. Digital Ad Tax Law Violates 1st Amendment, 4th Circ. Told
Maryland's digital ad tax law includes a content-based ban on speech and violates the First Amendment, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others told the Fourth Circuit on Monday, seeking to overturn a district court decision upholding the tax.
-
March 17, 2025
Ore. Lawmakers OK $5B Insurer, Hospital Tax Extension
Oregon would extend medical provider and insurance assessments otherwise slated to expire, raising $5 billion for the state's healthcare programs over four years, under legislation passed Monday by the state Senate.
-
March 17, 2025
Kleinberg Kaplan Adds Simpson Thacher Atty As Tax Partner
Kleinberg Kaplan announced Monday that it has added a Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP attorney to help provide clients with expertise on tax aspects of private investment fund formation and operation, as well as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and financings.
-
March 17, 2025
Pa. Net Revenues Down $104M From Forecast
Pennsylvania's general fund revenue from July through February underperformed forecasts by $104 million, according to a report by the state Department of Revenue released Monday.
-
March 17, 2025
Minn. Senate Bill Proposes Retailer Tax Collection Allowance
Minnesota would allow a retailer to retain a portion of its sales and use tax collection to pay for the administrative cost of remitting sales and use tax under a bill introduced Monday in the state Senate.
-
March 17, 2025
NJ Tax Collection Through Feb. Increases By $1 Billion
New Jersey's major revenues from July through February jumped by $1 billion over last year, according to a report by the state Department of the Treasury.
-
March 17, 2025
Ark. Allows Intercepting Tax Returns To Collect Court Fines
Arkansas authorized courts that have sentenced criminal defendants to pay fines or other costs to collect unpaid amounts through intercepting a defendant's state income tax return, under a bill signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
-
March 17, 2025
Belkin Burden Hires Tax Exemption, Zoning Experts
Belkin Burden & Goldman LLP announced Monday it has added five new attorneys from Seiden & Schein PC who will form the firm's new tax exemptions and zoning incentives department.
-
March 17, 2025
Minn. Bill Seeks Vote For Sales Tax Hike For Housing
Minnesota would boost its sales tax rate by 0.375 of a percentage point to fund housing efforts under a constitutional amendment proposed for a vote in the 2026 election under legislation introduced in the state Senate.
-
March 17, 2025
Ill. Revenues Beat Budget Forecasts By $20M
Illinois' total revenues from July through February topped forecasts by $20 million, according to the Governor's Office of Management and Budget.
-
March 17, 2025
DC Commercial Property Taxable Values Drop Nearly 8%
Commercial property values in Washington, D.C., dropped 7.87% in their 2025 assessments compared with a year earlier, the district's tax office said.
-
March 14, 2025
What To Do, And Not To Do, Before A State Tax Court Judge
Many practitioners and state government officials will face a state tax court judge at some point in their careers, and sometimes getting off on the right foot means knowing what not to do, four current and former judges said.
-
March 14, 2025
Mich. Panel Revives Hangar's Property Tax Challenge
The Michigan Court of Appeals revived a company's argument that it is exempt from a city's tax on a hangar it leased from a regional airport authority, saying the state Tax Tribunal should have required the municipality to prove that a tax statute applied to the company.
-
March 14, 2025
Ariz. Sen. OKs Expansion Of Tax Break For Aviation Gear
Arizona would expand its transaction privilege and use tax exemptions for aircraft communication instruments and tools used to maintain an aircraft to general aviation aircraft under a bill passed in the state Senate.
-
March 14, 2025
Texas Justices Affirm Private Prison Co.'s Exemption Denial
A private prison operator with facilities in Texas was correctly denied a sales tax exemption granted to government agencies or instrumentalities of the state, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday.
-
March 14, 2025
Colo. Sen. Panel OKs Premium Drop In Family Leave Program
Colorado would lower the premium for the state's paid family medical leave insurance program and double its benefit for parents of newborns in intensive care under legislation passed Friday by a Senate Committee.
-
March 14, 2025
Ark. Bill Aims To Ban Certain Separate Property Assessments
Arkansas would not allow accessory dwelling units to be assessed separately from a principal residence through a constitutional amendment proposed by a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
-
March 14, 2025
Neb. Tax Receipts Through Feb. Nearly Match Forecast
Nebraska's net tax receipts from July through February came close to projections, according to a report released by the state Department of Revenue on Friday.
Expert Analysis
-
Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
-
Overreach In Texas And An Acronym In Peril: SALT In Review
From the Council on State Taxation's take on a proposal in Texas to the potential end of a fundamental truth in Montana, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
-
How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
-
NY Tax Talk: Questions In Corporate Franchise Tax Regs Case
In the first challenge to New York's Corporate Franchise Tax regulations — Paychex v. Department of Taxation and Finance — the court has an important opportunity to provide clarity on a major retroactive application issue, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
-
How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
-
Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
-
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
-
The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
-
How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
-
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
-
Sound Ideas And An Ill-Advised Gamble: SALT In Review
From potential reforms in Louisiana to tax incentives for a gambling company in Colorado, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
-
Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
-
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.