The Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board (ATB) struck down a $17.9 million assessment and held that State Street Corp. (State Street), a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, was entitled to approximately $14 million in Massachusetts research tax credits because Massachusetts state tax provisions did not prohibit bank holding companies from
corporate income tax
Florida Court of Appeal holds state’s NOL deduction limit tracks federal threshold
The Florida First District Court of Appeal held that Florida’s annual corporate income tax net operating loss (NOL) deduction limit is the same as the federal limit. Verizon Communications Inc. (Verizon) accumulated federal and state NOLs upon its 2006 acquisition of MCI, Inc. ($15 billion federal and $267 million Florida NOLs) and 2011 acquisition of…
Missouri AHC determines REIT dividends are deductible
The Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission held that real-estate investment trust (REIT) dividends from sources within Missouri are deductible from Missouri income.
The decision involved a REIT that generates income from mortgages secured by real property. The REIT made distributions of profits derived from sources within Missouri to its controlling interest holder. The controlling interest holder…
Alabama Tax Tribunal: Interest payments not added back under Alabama’s subject-to-tax exception
On February 26, 2024, the Alabama Tax Tribunal (Tribunal) held that Huhtamaki Inc. (Huhtamaki), a packaging manufacturer, is not required to add back interest payments indirectly made to foreign affiliates through a U.S. parent company.
Under Alabama’s add-back statute, a corporation must add back otherwise deductible interest expenses directly or indirectly paid to a related…
New York ALJ approves manufacturing corporate franchise tax benefits for winery
On February 15, 2024, a New York state administrative law judge concluded that a winery “used” its property and qualified as a New York manufacturer under the state’s Qualified New York Manufacturer (QNYM) provisions, even though it had no employees at the winery and outsourced its land management operations to an independent land management contractor. …
Pennsylvania BF&R rejects request to calculate sales factor by looking through to customers’ sales
On July 13, 2023, the Pennsylvania Board of Finance and Revenue (“BF&R”) denied a pharmaceuticals developer’s corporate net income tax refund claim based on adjustments to its apportionment formula and taxable income. The taxpayer filed, and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue denied, a refund claim for the 2019 tax year on three grounds: (1) the…
Time’s up: North Carolina DOR’s failure to timely issue required written statement invalidates assessment
A North Carolina Administrative Law Judge held that the Department of Revenue did not have the authority to adjust the taxpayer’s net income because the Department failed to timely issue a statutorily required written statement.
The Department believed the taxpayer had not accurately reported income properly attributable to North Carolina due to intercompany transactions that…
Virginia Court Sauers on Department of Taxation’s position on electing the manufacturer’s apportionment method
The Court of Appeals of Virginia, upholding the trial court’s decision, held that the successor to The C. F. Sauer Company could elect the manufacturer’s apportionment method for the first time on its amended tax return. By doing so, the court (preliminarily*) paved the way for qualifying taxpayers to take a wait and see approach…
Water’s-edge combined reports and 80/20 companies
The unitary combined reporting method for state corporate income taxation has been adopted by an increasing number of states. While combined reporting requirements vary significantly from state to state, nearly all combined reporting regimes require or allow a water’s-edge method that limits the members of a group return to entities that are incorporated in the…
Michigan Court of Appeals holds MBT business loss carryforward cannot be claimed on taxpayer’s first corporate income tax return
On January 19, 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals held that a taxpayer, transitioning from the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) to the Corporate Income Tax (CIT), cannot claim prior MBT business losses on its first CIT return. For tax years 2008 through 2011, the taxpayer filed MBT tax returns and claimed employment tax credits. In…