On February 15, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that the Roanoke, Virginia stormwater management charge was not subject to the discriminatory tax prohibition in the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (“4-R Act”) because the charge was a fee. In 2013, Roanoke enacted a stormwater management
In the News
New York City Tax Tribunal finds that ownership of a flow-through interest can create nexus.
The New York City Tax Tribunal held that an out-of-state corporate taxpayer, with an indirect interest in a limited liability company investment fund engaged in business in New York City, had nexus with the City and was subject to tax on capital gain from its sale of the fund. The taxpayer had no property, employees,…
Michigan Court of Appeals Holds that Use Tax is Due on Phones Given to Customers
On February 12, 2019, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the imposition of use tax on phones that were given away for no charge by a company in conjunction with its sale of mobile phone service contracts. The company sold service contracts for a single mobile phone service provider and also purchased phones from the…
Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard Publication–Fourth Quarter 2018
This is the twelfth edition of the Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard, and the last edition from 2018. Since 2016, Eversheds Sutherland has tallied the results of what we deem to be significant taxpayer wins and losses and analyzed those results. This edition of the SALT Scoreboard includes insights regarding Louisiana’s refund procedure, credit for taxes…
Georgia Bill Proposes Changes to Sales and Use Tax Reporting and Collection Rules
On February 14, 2019, the Georgia House Ways and Means Committee voted in favor of House Bill 182. Effective for January 1, 2020, the bill would amend O.C.G.A. § 48-8-2(8)(M.1) to lower the sales threshold on the requirement to collect or report sales and use tax from $250,000 to $100,000 and would repeal subsection…
You’re No Don Draper: Online Advertising Company Fails to Qualify for Advertising Services Tax Exemption
On January 9, 2019, the South Dakota Supreme Court upheld the denial of South Dakota’s advertising services use tax exemption to a Sioux Falls-based company (Company) that designs and maintains websites that allow individuals and car dealerships to advertise vehicles for sale. On audit, the Company was assessed use tax for purchases it made for…
New Jersey Tax Court Rejects Division’s Interpretation of Regulation Regarding “Regular Place of Business” and Permits Apportionment
The New Jersey Tax Court ruled that a corporation was entitled to apportion its corporate income based on a “regular place of business” outside of New Jersey. This now-repealed apportionment requirement was the source of several New Jersey Tax Court cases. For tax years beginning before July 1, 2010, N.J. Rev. Stat. § 54:10A-6 provided…
Legal Alert: Maryland bill proposes digital goods tax
The Maryland House of Delegates is considering legislation (House Bill 426) that would impose sales and use tax on digital products and sales tax on digital codes. If signed into law, Maryland would begin taxing digital products and digital codes on July 1, 2019. House Bill 426 was read for the first time in the…
New York Sustains Retroactive Application of Statutory Amendments to the Empire Zones Act
A New York State Administrative Law Judge ruled that the retroactive application of amendments to the state’s Empire Zones statute—disqualifying a taxpayer from the tax reduction credits—did not violate the taxpayer’s constitutional due process rights. Acknowledging that the stated public purposes of curtailing perceived abuses and raising revenue were better accomplished in prospective legislation, the…
Washington Sources ATM Card Processor’s Receipts to the Location of its Customers’ Business Activities for B&O Tax
The Washington Department of Revenue Appeals Division ruled that for B&O apportionment purposes under the “services and other activities” tax classification, an out-of-state automated teller machine (ATM) card transaction processor’s receipts are properly sourced to the location of its financial institution customers’ ATM transaction activities. The Appeals Division found that location to be the location…



