The Virginia Department of Taxation (Department) ruled that a company’s sales of cloud computing services did not create nexus with Virginia for corporate income tax purposes. The Department also said that in applying P.L. 86-272, it uses the same “solicitation” test for both the sales of intangible personal property
corporate income tax
Oregon Tax Court Rules Electricity Sales to California Purchasers May Not Be Sourced to Oregon
By Mike Kerman and Eric Coffill
On remand from the Oregon Supreme Court, the Oregon Tax Court ruled that receipts from sales of electricity to California purchasers cannot be sourced to Oregon. The Oregon Supreme Court had ruled in Powerex Corp. v. Dept. of Rev., 357 OR. 40 (2015) that sales of electricity are sales…
Compact, But No Contract: Minnesota Supreme Court Holds Compact Did Not Create Binding Contractual Obligation
By Hanish Patel and Amy Nogid
The Minnesota Supreme Court held that Minnesota’s adoption of the Multistate Tax Compact (Compact) did not create a binding contractual obligation and, as a result, the state’s subsequent repeal of the Compact’s alternative apportionment election provision was not prohibited as unconstitutionally impairing contractual obligations. As such, the taxpayer was…
NYC Tax Appeals Tribunal Determines HMO Subject to General Corporation Tax
The New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal reversed an administrative law judge (ALJ) and determined that a health maintenance organization (HMO) was subject to the New York City general corporation tax.
In Aetna, the parties stipulated that all the requirements for combination had been satisfied, so the sole issue was whether…
Signals Crossed: Satellite TV Receipts Sourced to South Carolina Based on Subscriber Location
By Mike Kerman and Andrew Appleby
The South Carolina Administrative Law Court determined that a satellite television provider must source its subscription receipts to South Carolina based on the percentage of in-state subscribers. The administrative law judge (ALJ) determined that South Carolina is not a “strict” costs of performance state for apportionment purposes because its…
Here’s the Deal: Georgia Governor Signs Several Significant Tax Bills
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has signed into law several significant tax bills, affecting various Georgia tax matters, including sales and use taxes, property taxes, corporate income taxes and state tax credits, which:
- Adjust Georgia’s statutory interest rates applicable for both assessments and refunds for all tax types, as well as create new procedural requirements for
…
It’s Plain (and Ordinary) to See: Michigan Court of Appeals Holds Unitary Business Group Does Not Exist
By Ted Friedman and Leah Robinson
The Michigan Court of Appeals reversed a trial court ruling and held that three companies did not constitute a statutorily defined “unitary business group” for Michigan Business Tax (MBT) purposes. It was undisputed that there was insufficient “direct” ownership among the companies to give rise to a “unitary business…
New Jersey Tax Court Rules on Inclusion of Mortgage-Related Receipts in Receipts Factor Numerator
By Charles Capouet and Todd Lard
The New Jersey Tax Court ruled on the sourcing of mortgage-related receipts received by a bank and also held that the Division of Taxation could not throw out receipts from the bank’s denominator. The taxpayer originated loans for its New Jersey borrowers through its New Jersey lending office employees…
The Home Stretch: Virginia Tax Commissioner Rules that Single Employee Working From Home Creates Nexus
By Mike Kerman and Open Weaver Banks
The Virginia Tax Commissioner ruled that an out-of-state corporation had nexus with Virginia because an employee performed accounting, human resources, payroll and customer support functions from a home office in Virginia. The Commissioner explained that out-of-state corporations are subject to Virginia corporate income tax if they have sufficient…
Virginia Trial Court’s Addback Decision Surely “Subject to” Future Appeal
By Zack Atkins and Eric Coffill
A Virginia trial court held that royalties paid to related members that are reported to, but not taxed by, other states do not qualify for the exception to the state’s corporate income tax addback statute. In granting summary judgment in favor of the Virginia Department of Taxation, the court…



