State & Local
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August 29, 2024
Colo. Group Asks US Justices To Revive Ballot Law Dispute
A Colorado organization asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower-court decision upholding a state law requiring financial impacts be included in the titles of some tax-related ballot initiatives.
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August 29, 2024
Day Pitney Lands Former Reuters Tax Counsel In Conn.
Day Pitney LLP continued its recent growth in its tax practice in Connecticut with the addition of an experienced tax attorney from Thomson Reuters.
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August 29, 2024
Colo. Lawmakers OK Further Property Tax Rate Cuts
The Colorado Legislature approved a bill Thursday that would cut assessment rates and limit local property tax growth as part of an agreement to stop two ballot initiatives critics say would devastate funding for schools and other local services.
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August 29, 2024
Ala. Tax Applies To Man Despite Move To Tenn.
A man who moved to Tennessee was still subject to Alabama income tax because he intended to return to Alabama and remained domiciled there, the Alabama Tax Tribunal ruled.
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August 29, 2024
Fla. Justices Won't Review Verizon's Tax Deduction Loss
The Florida Supreme Court declined to hear Verizon's appeal of a lower court's finding that federal tax mitigation provisions didn't supersede Florida's three-year time limit to claim tax deductions from net operating losses on businesses it acquired more than 20 years ago.
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August 29, 2024
Wis. Fiscal Year Revenues $275M Over Forecast
Wisconsin revenue collection through the 2024 fiscal year was $276 million over budget projections, the state Department of Revenue said.
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August 28, 2024
Colo. House OKs Additional Property Tax Rate Cuts
The Colorado House approved a legislative package Wednesday aimed at limiting property tax increases by lowering assessment rates and capping local revenue growth, sending the measures to the state Senate.
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August 28, 2024
Ohio Justices To Weigh School Board Tax Appeal Rights
The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to hear a school board's claims that a law that limited the rights of school boards to appeal certain property valuation decisions to a state tax board offered them a path to appeal to county courts instead.
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August 28, 2024
Austin Light-Rail Plan Faces Fresh Suit Over Transit Tax Model
A purported class of Austin, Texas, residents moved to block the financing structure for a transit plan in their latest state court challenge to the city's Project Connect model approved in a 2020 voter referendum.
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August 28, 2024
Greenberg Traurig Builds PE Team With Kirkland Hires
Greenberg Traurig LLP has brought on two fund formation partners from Kirkland & Ellis LLP to continue its growth into the private equity space, according to an announcement this week by the firm.
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August 28, 2024
Mich. Tax Applies Only To NFTs With Physical Components
Michigan sales tax applies only to nonfungible tokens that represent ownership in a piece of tangible property, the state Department of Treasury clarified in a newsletter.
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August 27, 2024
Colo. House Advances Further Cuts To Property Tax Rates
The Colorado House advanced legislation Tuesday to limit property tax growth, a move supporters hope will also stave off a pair of ballot initiatives that critics say would devastate schools and other local services.
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August 27, 2024
TIGTA Calls For Better Guarding Of Shared Tax Info
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration identified ways Tuesday it said the Internal Revenue Service should work with state agencies to improve the handling of federal tax information it shares with them, including nudging them to file required security reports.
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August 27, 2024
Candidates' Plans To End Tip Taxes Spark Fairness Concerns
The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees have both proposed eliminating taxes on tips for restaurant and hospitality workers, but tax experts say such a policy would unfairly pick winners and losers among workers and its benefits would be unevenly spread.
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August 27, 2024
Vt. General Revenue In July Exceeds Last Year By $28M
Vermont's general revenue collection for the first month of the fiscal year was roughly $28 million higher than last year, the state Agency of Administration said in a report.
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August 27, 2024
Maine Joining IRS' Free E-File Program In 2025
The Internal Revenue Service's free electronic tax filing program, Direct File, will be available in Maine for the 2025 tax filing season, the IRS and U.S. Treasury Department announced Tuesday.
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August 26, 2024
US Should Extend Expiring TCJA Tax Cuts, Chamber Says
The expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2025 gives the next Congress an opportunity to pass pro-growth tax policies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Monday.
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August 26, 2024
Pa. Goodwill Qualifies For Charitable Exemption, Court Says
A Goodwill store in Pennsylvania qualifies for a charitable exemption from property tax, the state's Commonwealth Court ruled Monday, finding the store satisfies constitutional requirements for the exemption by providing employee training and driver's training.
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August 26, 2024
Va. Tax Head Denies Sales Tax Refund To Medical Device Co.
The Virginia Department of Taxation correctly assessed sales and use tax on a medical device and equipment manufacturer, which was unable to prove it erroneously paid the tax, the state's tax commissioner said in a letter ruling.
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August 26, 2024
Va. Tax Head Partially Allows Charitable Deduction
Virginia's tax commissioner said unidentified taxpayers were able to provide documentation to show they had made cash donations to a church and should be allowed an income tax deduction, according to a letter ruling.
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August 26, 2024
Va. Tax Dept. Says Co.'s Filing Status Change Was Legal
The Virginia Department of Taxation wrongly charged a company for filing a combined corporate income tax return, the state tax commissioner said, as the company was eligible to change its filing status.
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August 26, 2024
SC Ends Fiscal Year With Revenues $355M Over Forecast
South Carolina's general fund ended the 2024 fiscal year with revenues $355 million higher than expected, according to the state Board of Economic Advisors.
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August 26, 2024
Mo. Lowe's 'Dark Store' Comparables Get Rejected
A Missouri Lowe's property was properly valued at $9 million, the state tax commission ruled, rejecting the property owner's attempt to use vacant storefronts as comparable properties.
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August 26, 2024
ND General Fund Revenues Top Estimates By $3M In July
North Dakota's general fund revenue in the first month of the 2025 fiscal year was $3 million over estimates, according to a monthly report by the state Legislative Council.
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August 26, 2024
Mo. Circle K Station's $1.2M Value Upheld
A Circle K gas station in Missouri was correctly assessed, despite the property owner's protest, because the owner failed to provide comparable properties to prove the value should be reduced, the state's tax commission ruled.
Expert Analysis
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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 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 — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at 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 “Ted Lasso” 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.
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Another Crack In The Shield: SALT In Review
From the latest assault on a federal shield against taxing out-of-state businesses to an update on beer taxes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.