On May 14, California Governor Gavin Newsom released proposed trailer bill language for the so-called “apportionment fix” introduced in his “May Revise” to the state budget last week (see our prior Legal Alert here). Incredibly, the bill would retroactively codify a provision that would overturn two important apportionment cases that allowed taxpayers to include
Legal Alert: California Governor “May Revise” taxpayer apportionment win
On May 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced his “May Revise” of the state budget. In addition to net operating loss deduction suspensions and tax credit usage limitations, one particularly concerning corporate tax-related proposal is a so-called “clarification” related to the apportionment factor.
Read the full Legal Alert here.
Seeking FTB advice
In this article originally published by CalCPA in the May 2024 issue of California CPA, Eversheds Sutherland Senior Counsel Eric Coffill explores the number of options available when trying to obtain advice from the FTB on planning and policy issues.
Read the full article here.
After the gold rush: Proposed tax on data extraction transactions passes California Senate Committee
On May 8, 2024, the California Senate’s Revenue and Taxation Committee held a hearing on S.B. 1327, which would impose a 7.5% tax on data extraction transactions in California. The committee passed the bill by 4 votes to 1.
Peter Blocker, Vice President of Policy at CalTax, testified in opposition to the bill. He indicated
Legal Alert: Proposal to reform San Francisco gross receipts tax
On May 6, 2024, the San Francisco Controller and Treasurer released their proposed final tax reform ordinance language. To become effective, San Francisco voters will have to pass a measure on the November 5, 2024 ballot by a 50% vote. The changes would apply to tax years 2025 forward.
Read the full Legal Alert here
California’s next bad idea: Another digital ad tax proposal
On May 1, 2024, California Senator Steve Glazer, Chair of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, unveiled another proposal to tax digital advertising. This time, Senator Glazer proposes to amend California Senate Bill 1327 to impose a 7.25% tax on “data extraction transactions in the state.”[1] This “data extraction transactions tax” (referred to as the
Not an April Fools’ Day prank: Digital advertising tax introduced in California State Assembly
On April 1, 2024, the California State Assembly amended a digital advertising tax into A.B. 2829, formerly a property tax bill. As amended, A.B. 2829 would adopt the digital advertising tax effective January 1, 2025. The California proposal is similar to the Maryland Digital Advertising Gross Revenues Tax, which is currently the subject of
Forecasting the future of FTB’s informal guidance
In this episode of the SALT Shaker Podcast, Eversheds Sutherland Counsel Jeremy Gove welcomes back Sacramento SALT Partner Tim Gustafson for another California-focused conversation!
Tim and Jeremy base their discussion around a recent article Tim co-authored in Tax Notes State with Associate Sharon Kaur about the California FTB’s informal guidance.
Specifically, they delve into the
Is California FTB’s informal guidance at a crossroads?
The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) administers the state’s corporate franchise and income taxes. The California Legislature authorized the FTB to promulgate regulations in order to implement and interpret the governing statutes. Beyond issuing formal guidance, however, the FTB historically, and routinely, has issued informal guidance on a broad array of topics and issues for
Don’t count on a sales tax discount: California Court of Appeal supports the validity of Regulation 1585
The California Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District held that the purchase of “discounted” cell phones bundled together with wireless services requires payment of sales tax based on the cell phone’s full price.
Plaintiffs purchased cell phones at a reduced cost, together with wireless services, in a “bundled transaction.” The bundled transaction included