The Texas Comptroller ruled that a taxpayer, which provided education and networking services for the property management industry, was not providing “information services,” but rather a non-taxable service. Taxable information services involve “furnishing general or specialized news or other current information” or “electronic data retrieval or research.” Tex. Tax Code § 151.0101(a)(10), 151.0038; Texas Rule
In the News
Tangled Up in Internal Consistency: Minnesota Legend Drug Tax Held Constitutional
The Minnesota Supreme Court held that the state’s gross receipts tax on prescription drugs did not violate the Due Process or Commerce Clauses when applied to transactions between out-of-state pharmacies and in-state customers, reversing the Minnesota Tax Court. After concluding that Minnesota’s “legend drug tax” legally applied to the taxpayer under the imposition statute (Minn.…
Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard Publication–Third Quarter 2018
This is the eleventh edition of the Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard, and the third edition of 2018. Each quarter, we tally the results of what we deem to be significant taxpayer wins and losses and analyze those results. This edition of the SALT Scoreboard includes a discussion of California combined reporting, insights regarding the Washington…
Can’t Hardly Wait — Cryptocurrency and State Tax Legislation
In this article in the Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives, Charlie Kearns and Dennis Jansen provide an overview of those recent state and local tax legislative developments affecting cryptocurrency, including attempts to protect miners or holders from excessive taxation and incent them to “locate” in a jurisdiction, which may offer some insight into…
Minnesota Supreme Court Upholds Commissioner’s Use of Alternative Apportionment for Financial Institution
The Minnesota Supreme Court held that the state’s standard apportionment method did not fairly reflect the taxpayer’s net income allocable to the state, reversing the Tax Court’s ruling. The taxpayer, a national financial institution, transferred its loan portfolios to two newly formed partnerships. For apportionment purposes, Minnesota requires financial institutions to include loan interest in…
House Judiciary Committee Considers Ramifications of Wayfair Decision
On Tuesday, June 24, the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives held a hearing on “Examining the Wayfair decision and its Ramifications for Consumers and Small Businesses.” The hearing was scheduled at the direction of Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-VA), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and did not address any specific pending or former…
North Carolina Supreme Court Decides in Favor of Taxpayer in Trust Nexus Dispute
The North Carolina Supreme Court recently held that the presence in the state of a trust’s beneficiary is not sufficient to establish income tax nexus for the trust. In the Kimberly Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust case, the trust’s beneficiaries were residents of North Carolina. There were no other connections between the state and the…
Top New Jersey Tax Changes in the 2018 Budget Deal
In a last-minute deal to avert a government shutdown, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature cobbled together a budget with numerous amendments to New Jersey’s tax law.
View the full legal alert.
New Jersey Legislature Passes Corporate Tax Increases, Still Negotiating with Governor
In the midst of a budget showdown between New Jersey’s Legislature and Governor Murphy, on June 25, 2018, the Legislature passed a replacement bill that seeks to raise revenue with a temporary Corporation Business Tax “surtax” on corporations meeting certain income thresholds and by limiting New Jersey’s dividend exclusion. The Legislature also responded to the…
US Supreme Court Overrules Physical Presence Standard, Leaves Plenty of Questions
In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court today overruled its landmark decisions in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota and National Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Department of Revenue of Illinois, disposing of the “physical presence” rule that has served as the bright-line standard for whether remote sellers are required to collect state sales taxes.…



