2022 was a year of transition – we emerged from the pandemic and its fully-remote environment, and welcomed the return of face-to-face meetings and in-person conferences. Likewise, there was significant transition in the state and local tax world – while certain issues maintained their prominence (marketplace and apportionment developments, to name a few), new issues
Noteworthy Cases
SALT Scoreboard – Third Quarter 2022
This is the third edition of the Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard for 2022. Since 2016, we have tallied the results of significant taxpayer wins and losses and analyzed those results.
View our Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard results from the third quarter of 2022 now!
D.C. Attorney General alleges gig-economy company misclassifies workers as independent contractors
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced on October 27th that his office filed suit against a delivery service company, claiming that the company’s workers are employees, not independent contractors.[1] The AG argues that the Company’s delivery drivers “bear all the hallmarks of employee status.”[2] This lawsuit follows another tax-related complaint filed by…
Virginia Circuit Court determines sales of software and equipment exempt from sales tax
In an opinion published on September 9, 2022, the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond held that a telecommunications equipment company was entitled to a sales tax refund on its sales of software, equipment, and related services sold to a telecommunications company.
Under Virginia law, software delivered electronically via the Internet is exempt from…
Airline lands partial victory in Oregon apportionment decision
On July 21, 2022, the Regular Division of the Oregon Tax Court ruled that flights operated by all members of a unitary group are included in a taxpayer’s departure ratio and that receipts for selling tickets on flights operated by third parties do not constitute transportation revenue under the state’s special industry apportionment rules for…
(Pay)rolling with the punches: D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings holds payroll factor denominator limited to financial institution payroll
The District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings held that the two financial institution subsidiaries of Petitioner, a credit and charge card issuer company, should have included in their payroll factor denominator only the payroll attributable to the financial institution entities. In other words, when calculating their payroll factor, Petitioner’s financial institution subsidiaries should have…
SALT Scoreboard – Second Quarter 2022
This is the second edition of the Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard for 2022. Since 2016, we have tallied the results of significant taxpayer wins and losses and analyzed those results.
View our Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard results from the second quarter of 2022 now!
Washington Department of Revenue finds sales tax must be collected on sales of renewable energy equipment
The Washington Department of Revenue upheld a retail sales tax assessment on a taxpayer who failed to collect retail sales tax on sales to a renewable energy company. The taxpayer stated that it did not collect tax on certain sales because it believed that the energy company qualified for the exemption provided by Wash. Rev.…
Booked! Montana Supreme Court finds resort services fee decision is here to stay
The Supreme Court of Montana affirmed a lower court’s determination that a taxpayer was liable for accommodations sales tax on its resort service fees, but did not owe accommodations sales tax for forfeited guest deposits or lodging facilities use tax on its resort service fees. The taxpayer, Boyne USA, Inc. owns and operates Big Sky…
Blame the manager: Company that arranges, manages brand displays is a retailer for Washington B&O and retail sales tax purposes
On April 25, the Washington Court of Appeals held that a company that arranges and manages displays for installation and placement in multiple retail brands’ stores through subcontractors was subject to the state’s retailing business and occupation tax (the “B&O tax”) and retail sales tax as a retailer making retail sales, rather than a provider…





