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
Credits and incentives
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. …
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court holds capital gain from sale of low income housing project exempt from income tax
On March 10, 2023, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts held that capital gains resulting from the sale of an urban redevelopment project were not subject to Massachusetts personal income tax. As an incentive for private entities to invest in constructing, operating, and maintaining urban redevelopment projects, Massachusetts exempts these entities “from the payment of…
Tax Appeals Tribunal grants New York manufacturer 100% credit carryover refund
The New York Tax Appeals Tribunal ruled that a semiconductor manufacturer was eligible to use the carryover refund from both the Empire Zone investment tax credit (EZ-ITC) for new businesses and the qualified investment project (QUIP)/significant investment project (SCIP) tax credit in the same year, resulting in a $152.3 million refund for the 2014 tax…
Workaround this: No income tax credit for Maine taxpayer who paid Connecticut pass-through entity tax
The Maine Board of Tax Appeals (Board) disallowed a resident individual taxpayer’s claim for a Maine income tax credit for taxes paid to Connecticut by the taxpayer’s limited liability company (the Company). The Company, treated as an S corporation for federal purposes, paid Connecticut’s entity-level tax on pass-through entities (a tax that operates as a…
It’s Electric: New York Tax Appeals Tribunal Holds Electricity Generator is Qualified New York Manufacturer
The New York State Tax Appeals Tribunal held that an electricity generation company was a qualified New York manufacturer for purposes of calculating New York State franchise tax on a corporation’s capital base, even though the company did not qualify for purposes of the entire net income base.
During the period at issue, a New…
Recapture Not Required: COVID-19 May Excuse Businesses from Repayment of Nebraska Incentives
The Nebraska Department of Revenue (“Department”) issued guidance explaining that Nebraska Advantage Act (“Act”) project-holders may not have to repay incentives if they cannot meet their project obligations due to COVID-19. The Act provides incentives to businesses that commit to certain levels of employment and investment as part of an expansion project in Nebraska. The…
Supreme Court of Idaho Upholds Tax Credit Legislation
The Supreme Court of Idaho upheld the lower court’s judgment that the Idaho Reimbursement Incentive Act (“IRIA”) does not violate the separation of powers provisions of the Idaho Constitution because the IRIA does not delegate lawmaking powers to an administrative body and the IRIA does not limit judicial review. An administrative agency created under the…
Podcast: Massachusetts retroactively denies income tax credits
This podcast discusses recent notices and assessments issued by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue denying taxpayers’ Economic Opportunity Area Credit and Economic Development Incentive Program Credit use and carryforward. It discusses:
- the 2016 statute amendment that imposed additional credit requirements and led to this issue
- the Department’s position on why it can deny new credit
…
Minnesota Tax Court Clarifies R&D Credit Calculation in Identical Cases
In two cases, the Minnesota Tax Court clarified the extent to which the Minnesota research and development (R&D) credit is calculated based on the Internal Revenue Code’s defined terms. Minnesota law incorporates the Internal Revenue Code’s definition of “base amount” for purposes of calculating the Minnesota R&D credit. The proportion of qualified research expenditures to…