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The Georgia Court of Appeals held that a group of telecommunications dealers that were AT&T subsidiaries (collectively “AT&T”) had standing to challenge the Georgia Department of Revenue’s (“DOR”) denial of sales tax refund claims.  Effective May 5, 2009, O.C.G.A. §§ 48-2-35 and 48-2-35.1 were amended to provide standing for “dealers” to file refund claims on…

On September 24, 2020, the Texas Court of Appeals upheld the Texas insurance premium tax on insurance policies for bales of cotton temporarily stored at Texas warehouses.  The court rejected the taxpayer’s arguments that: (1) the tax violated the Commerce Clause and the Import-Export Clause of the United States Constitution; and (2) the insurance at…

The Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission recently clarified the applicability of the state’s property tax exemption for machinery, tools, and patterns (“MTP”) under Wis. Stat. § 70.111(27), which took effect in 2018. At issue in this appeal was which of a taxpayer’s property items were eligible for the exemption, which applies to all MTP unless the…

In Letter Ruling 8095, the Missouri Department of Revenue determined that the electronic delivery of medical records is not subject to sales tax. The Department reasoned that electronically delivered information, regardless of the record’s original medium, is not taxable tangible personal property. The Department also concluded that the release of medical records to third…

The Colorado Department of Revenue has determined that an information technology provider’s sale of its backup service, which allowed its customers to back up business applications, files, and systems, and also included the delivery of computer servers to customers’ locations, constituted a nontaxable service.  Although the Department “considered whether the placement of [the] servers constitut[ed]…

The New York Division of Tax Appeals (DTA) recently issued order that highlights the unique discovery rules that apply in the litigation of New York tax matters. These rules differ substantially from other states that offer more expansive discovery options when taxpayers appeal state tax assessments or denials of refund claims.

On Sept. 3, 2020…

The New Jersey Superior Court reversed the New Jersey Tax Court and held that an individual taxpayer was permitted to carry forward losses from a partnership incurred in 2009 to reduce the individual’s distributive share of the partnership’s income in 2010.  The Court explained that, pursuant to IRC § 465, a partner in a partnership…

The Michigan Supreme Court held that sales of bottle and can recycling machines that help retailers comply with Michigan’s bottle-deposit law may qualify for the state’s sales and use tax exemption applicable to machinery used in an industrial-processing activity.  The Michigan Department of Treasury unsuccessfully argued that the machines may not qualify for the exemption…

The Texas Court of Appeals held that the trial court did not have jurisdiction over a taxpayer’s sales and use tax refund claim because the taxpayer failed to properly state the grounds for the refund claim.  The Texas Tax Code requires that a refund claim: (1) be written, (2) “state fully and in detail each…

On September 29, 2020, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed S.B. 972, the controversial taxpayer disclosure bill that would have required the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to provide the Legislature annually with the names, tax liabilities, and tax credits claimed by corporate taxpayers that meet a $5 billion gross receipts threshold.

S.B. 972 proposed…