Read our January 2018 posts on stateandlocaltax.com or read each article by clicking on the title. For the latest coverage and commentary on state and local tax developments delivered directly to your phone, download the latest version of the Eversheds Sutherland SALT Shaker app.
- SALT Pets of the Month: Johnny and June
Meet Johnny and June (yes—as in Johnny and June Cash!), also known as “June Bug” and “Murr.” These four-and-a-half month old kittens belong to Sacramento SALT receptionist Sheryl Burns and her husband, Jordy. - New Jersey Cannot Require an “Addback” of Income Not Included in Federal Taxable Income Because of Treaty Benefit
The New Jersey Tax Court held that New Jersey could not impose corporation business tax on a foreign corporation’s foreign source income that was not included in the federal tax base because of a treaty benefit. - Tread Lightly: New Mexico Finds Gain from Stock Sale Is Business Income
The New Mexico Administrative Hearings Office affirmed the Taxation and Revenue Department’s assessment to Agman Louisiana Inc. based on the taxpayer’s gain from the sale of stock of a corporation in which the taxpayer owned less than a 50% interest. - Superior Court of Washington Strikes Down New Income Tax on High Income Residents
The Superior Court of Washington for King County held that Seattle’s new income tax on “high income residents” violates a provision of Washington state law which prohibits a city from levying a tax on net income.
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
- Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard Publication–Fourth Quarter 2017
Eversheds Sutherland SALT releases the eighth edition of its SALT Scoreboard, a quarterly publication that tracks significant state tax litigation and controversy developments. This edition of the SALT Scoreboard includes our year-end observations for 2017, a discussion of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in Nextel, and a spotlight on apportionment cases. - A Pinch of SALT: Maryland’s Alternative Apportionment Violates Internal Consistency
This installment of A Pinch of SALT examines the comptroller of Maryland’s practice of attributing in-state operating companies’ apportionment factors to affiliated out-of-state holding companies. This article posits that this type of attribution violates the internal consistency test reflected in the US Supreme Court’s dormant commerce clause doctrine. - California’s Altered Tax Landscape
On January 10, 2017, California Assembly member Phil Ting introduced and read Assembly Bill (“AB”) 102 for the first time. Introduced as a placeholder bill, AB 102 consisted of a single section and sentence: “SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget.” Then, in less than two weeks in June 2017, the California Legislature gutted and amended this innocuous bill into a 19-page plan to drastically alter the landscape of California’s tax system. As signed by the governor, AB 102 stripped the California State Board of Equalization of all but its constitutional powers, created a new agency named the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and created a second new agency named the Office of Tax Appeals. Three months later, clean-up legislation in AB 131 made further changes. In his article for the January 2018 edition of the Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives, Eversheds Sutherland attorney Eric Coffill discusses the history and events leading up to those changes and provides a glimpse of the (somewhat uncertain) California tax landscape going forward. - Many State Tax Incentives Are Now Taxable Due to Federal Tax Reform
Recently enacted federal tax reform is expected to generate $6.5 billion in additional federal revenue through 2027 by increasing corporate tax liability for certain state and local incentives. In their article for Bloomberg, Eversheds Sutherland attorneys Timothy Gustafson and Hanish Patel discuss the change and opportunities to minimize its impact. - An Interview with California BOE Chair Diane Harkey
In this edition of Across State Lines, published by State Tax Notes, Eversheds Sutherland attorney Eric Coffill interviews Diane Harkey, Chair of the California State Board of Equalization.