On May 24, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Revenue published Private Letter Ruling No. SUPLR 2021-0019 (dated April 29, 2021). The taxpayer is a North Carolina based company that provides subscriptions to information hosted in the cloud which its customers access through a web portal in exchange for a subscription fee. The industry-specific information
Digital Economy
Washington provides guidance regarding marketplace facilitators & the delivery of restaurant and grocery food
On May 7, 2021, the Washington Department of Revenue issued Excise Tax Advisory 3223.2021, providing guidance on the proper taxation of grocery food and restaurant delivery services provided through marketplace facilitators. Marketplace facilitators that are facilitating the retail sale of prepared food or groceries through its marketplace are responsible for collecting and remitting sales…
Missouri Governor expected to sign newly passed economic Nexus Bill
Missouri is set to enact economic nexus requirements, asserting a sales and use tax collection obligation on remote sellers and marketplace facilitators. On May 14, 2021, the Missouri Legislature passed S.B. 153, which the governor is widely expected to sign. Upon signing, Missouri will join the other 44 states and the District of Columbia…
Maryland Court of Appeals determines that online travel booking company is not liable for sales tax prior to law change
In Travelocity.com LP v. Comptroller of Maryland, filed April 30, 2021, the Maryland Court of Appeals held that the taxpayer did not qualify as a “vendor” for purposes of sales and use tax for years prior to a 2015 law change. The taxpayer was an online travel company that provided a platform to review…
Washington issues guidance on taxation of electronically transferred credit bureau services
The Washington Department of Revenue issued Excise Tax Advisory 3107.2021 on May 3, 2021 stating that credit bureau services transferred electronically are subject to retail sales tax and B&O tax. By statute, taxable retail sale includes “credit bureau services” and the sale of “digital goods” and “digital automated services.” Credit bureau services include the assembly…
Arkansas determines cloud-based internet optimization service nontaxable
The Revenue Legal Counsel division of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration published a Revenue Legal Opinion on May 6, 2021 (dated March 25, 2021) determining that cloud-based software that allows customers to monitor and prioritize the usage of internet bandwidth is not taxable. The taxpayer sells a cloud-based service (Saas) that customers purchase…
California Assembly advances bill to extend marketplace facilitator requirements to fees
On April 26, 2021, the California Assembly voted to approve AB 1402, which in addition to sales tax would extend the requirements of a marketplace facilitator law to fees administered pursuant to the California Fee Collection Procedures Law that are imposed on the retail sale of tangible personal property in the state. The bill…
Massachusetts issues guidance on taxation of internet access
On April 26, 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue issued Technical Information Release 21-5. This TIR was issued in response to New Cingular Wireless PCS LLC v. Commissioner of Revenue, 98 Mass. App. Ct. 356 (2020), where the court held that the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) preempts the imposition of sales and…
Connecticut Digital Advertising Services and Wage Tax Proposals Moving Forward
On April 22, 2021, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Finance Revenue and Bonding (“Joint Committee”) approved a revised revenue bill (HB6443) to implement the Connecticut state budget. We have learned that the revised bill includes: (1) a new digital advertising services tax; and (2) a new wage compensation tax, whereby, at…
Virginia determines that software purchase was subject to use tax
The Virginia Tax Commissioner issued a determination addressing use tax on the purchase of a software. Virginia statute provides an exemption for services not involving the exchange of tangible personal property, which provide access to or use of the internet and any other related electronic communication services including software, data, content and other information services…



