On September 18, 2014, the New York State Tax Appeals Tribunal decided its first combination case addressing the 2007 changes to New York’s combined reporting regime: Matter of Knowledge Learning Corporation and Kindercare Learning Centers, Inc. Reversing a prior determination by an Administrative Law Judge, the Tribunal held that the taxpayers did indeed meet their
combined reporting
Fresh Powder in Vermont: Taxpayer and Ski Resort Not Unitary
By Stephen Burroughs and Andrew Appleby
A Vermont Superior Court held that the Commissioner of Taxes unconstitutionally applied the unitary business principle to AIG and its subsidiary, Stowe Mountain Resort. Stowe operates a ski resort, lodging and conference business in Vermont. None of AIG’s other 700 subsidiaries resemble a ski resort, and the Commissioner acknowledged…
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
…
A Pinch of SALT: Heads They Win, Tails You Lose: New York Decombination and Discretionary Adjustments
In their article for State Tax Notes, “Heads They Win, Tails You Lose: New York Decombination and Discretionary Adjustments,” Sutherland attorneys Marc A. Simonetti, Andrew D. Appleby and Sahang-Hee Hahn assert that the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance applies its combined reporting and discretionary authority provisions arbitrarily to maximize its tax…
Indiana Determines Combination Is Justified, But Alternative Methodology Must Be Considered
By Ted Friedman and Andrew Appleby
The Indiana Department of Revenue determined that an audit correctly required a distribution and manufacturing subsidiary of a tobacco company to file a combined return with its corporate affiliates. The Audit Division concluded that the subsidiary’s income, as reported, did not fairly reflect its Indiana source income because of…
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
…
Rent-A-Member: Oregon Tax Court Rules Taxpayer Unitary with Its Captive Insurance Subsidiary but Not Its Franchising Subsidiary
By Derek Takehara and Pilar Mata
The Magistrate Division of the Oregon Tax Court held that for the tax year 2003, (1) Rent-A-Center, a rent-to-own operator, and its wholly-owned franchising subsidiary, ColorTyme, were not unitary; (2) ColorTyme did not have nexus with Oregon; and (3) Rent-A-Center and its captive insurance subsidiary, Legacy Insurance Co. (Legacy)…
Rumor Has It: IT USA Wins on Decombination at New York Tax Appeals Tribunal
By Sahang-Hee Hahn and Timothy Gustafson
The New York State Tax Appeals Tribunal ruled the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance could not decombine taxpayers’ New York combined filing group for tax years 2002-2004. The Tribunal’s ruling upholds the ALJ’s determination that there was a sufficient flow of value between entities engaged in…
New York Tax Reform Made Easy: Net Operating Loss
The New York State Governor and Legislature recently enacted the 2014-2015 New York State Budget, Senate Bill 6359-D and Assembly Bill 8559-D (Budget), which results in the most significant overhaul of New York’s franchise tax on corporations in decades. In this edition of New York Tax Reform Made Easy, we will address the creation of the Prior Net Operating Loss deduction.
Continue Reading New York Tax Reform Made Easy: Net Operating Loss
No “Best Method” in the Madness: Taxpayer’s Transfer Pricing Study Fails to Stop Forced Combination in Indiana
By Sahang-Hee Hahn and Timothy Gustafson
The Indiana Department of Revenue required an out-of-state clothing company and its subsidiary to file a combined Indiana corporate income tax return, determining that the taxpayer’s transfer pricing study was insufficient to establish that its intercompany transactions were conducted at arm’s length. The taxpayer was the parent of a…



