Digital Economy
Not Everything is Bigger in Texas: Application of Texas Multistate Benefit Exemption Proves Narrow when Applied to Computer Software Services
By Derek Takehara and Andrew Appleby
The Texas Comptroller determined that a semiconductor manufacturer’s purchases of computer software-related services were subject to sales and use tax because the taxpayer failed to prove that such purchases qualified for the multistate benefit exemption. Taxable services performed for use in Texas are generally subject to tax. Because some…
No Foul: Out-of-State IT Consulting Business’s Activities are Out of (Colorado) Bounds
By Stephanie Do and Pilar Mata
The Colorado Department of Revenue determined that an out-of-state S corporation was not subject to Colorado income taxes and was not required to register with the Department. The S corporation provided information technology consulting services and designed accounting software systems. One of the S corporation’s clients was located in…
Minnesota Department of Revenue Revises a Release that Discusses Application of Sales Tax to Digital Products
The Minnesota Department of Revenue updated its Sales Tax Fact Sheet on digital products to explain that webinars (electronically accessed live or prerecorded audio and audiovisual presentations) are exempt from tax provided the following three requirements are met:
(1) Admission to the in-person presentation is not subject…
Sutherland SALT Shaker: June 2014 Digest
…
Tennessee “Volunteers” Taxpayer for Alternative Apportionment
By Stephen Burroughs and Andrew Appleby
The Tennessee Court of Appeals held that the Commissioner had the authority to require Vodafone, a wireless communications provider, to use an alternative apportionment method for Tennessee franchise and excise tax purposes. Vodafone used Tennessee’s statutory cost-of-performance (COP) method to source its telecommunication service receipts. Using Tennessee’s statutory COP…
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, They’re Ours: Illinois Sources Cloud Computing Receipts Using Market-Based Approach
By Sahang-Hee Hahn and Pilar Mata
The Illinois Department of Revenue determined that a taxpayer’s cloud computing receipts should be sourced for sales factor purposes using a market-based approach because the receipts were derived from services. The taxpayer was an information technology hosting services provider engaged in a business that focused on the delivery and…
Florida’s Bob Ross Cloud: Happy, Puffy and Tax-Free
By Stephen Burroughs and Andrew Appleby
The Florida Department of Revenue determined that the sale of remote storage and cloud computing services, along with related data transfer fees, are information services not subject to Florida sales tax or Communication Service Tax (CST). The taxpayer’s remote storage service grants customers access to servers for data storage.
Michigan Court of Appeals Holds that Checkpoint Is an Information Service. If Only the Department of Treasury Had a Subscription…
By David Pope and Timothy Gustafson
The Michigan Court of Appeals held that Thomson Reuters’ sale of Checkpoint, an online tax and accounting research program, was the sale of a nontaxable information service and not tangible personal property for purposes of Michigan’s use tax. The Michigan Department of Treasury argued Checkpoint was tangible personal…
Join Us for the Sutherland SALT Roundtable Silicon Valley
Sutherland’s state and local tax team will host the Sutherland SALT Roundtable Silicon Valley on Tuesday, June 17 at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay in Redwood City, California. The roundtable will take an in-depth look at significant state and local tax issues and developments impacting the technology sector, including:
- Digital Unrest – Legislation, Litigation and
…



