At a March 4, 2021 meeting of the California Franchise Tax Board’s (FTB) three-member Board, FTB Staff announced on the record that a Board hearing on an alternative apportionment petition is not required to exhaust administrative remedies. The announcement was made during Staff’s recommendation to the Board to begin the formal regulatory process to amend
Franchise Tax Board
California Franchise Tax Board Announces 20-Day Comment Period for Alternative Apportionment Regulation Amendments
On December 29, 2020, California’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB) staff announced a twenty-day comment period for four changes to the proposed draft language of its 25137 Regulation (Alternative Apportionment). After the twenty-day comment period expires, FTB staff intends to present the newly revised proposed draft Regulation language to the three member Franchise Tax Board to…
Taxpayer Privacy Rights Prevail: California Governor Vetoes Controversial California Corporate Tax Disclosure Bill, S.B. 972
On September 29, 2020, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed S.B. 972, the controversial taxpayer disclosure bill that would have required the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to provide the Legislature annually with the names, tax liabilities, and tax credits claimed by corporate taxpayers that meet a $5 billion gross receipts threshold.
S.B. 972 proposed…
The Long Road to Clarity: FTB Holds Latest Meeting in Multiyear Project to Clarify Alternative Apportionment Petition Process
On Aug. 11, the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) held the latest Interested Parties Meeting (IPM) in its three-year long project to amend the state’s alternative apportionment petition regulation. The meeting covered changes in the latest proposed regulation language (PDF) and provided taxpayers with the opportunity to voice concerns regarding potential gaps and…
Over-Hall: U.S. Supreme Court Holds States Retain Sovereign Immunity from Private Suits in Other States, Overturning Nevada v. Hall
In a 5-to-4 decision, the US Supreme Court held that states retain sovereign immunity from private suits brought by individuals in courts of other states, and therefore, overruled its prior decision in Nevada v. Hall, 440 US 410 (1979). The decision arose from a longstanding dispute brought by an individual taxpayer against the California…
California FTB Chief Counsel Issues Ruling on Financial Corporations and Interest Rate Hedging Contracts
On November 2, 2018, the Chief Counsel of the California Franchise Tax Board issued Chief Counsel Ruling No. 2018-01, determining: (1) that a taxpayer servicing mortgages was not a financial corporation for purposes of the corporation franchise tax; and (2) gains from interest rate hedging contracts are general income, not money or moneyed capital. Although…
Taking Taxpayers for a Ride: California Upholds Mandatory Combined Reporting for Interstate Motorcycle Retailer
The California Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s holding that the California Franchise Tax Board can require interstate unitary businesses to use combined reporting, even though combined reporting is optional for intrastate unitary businesses. The taxpayer, a motorcycle retailer, argued that the differential treatment of interstate and intrastate business gave a direct commercial advantage…
Damages Award Limited in Nevada Case Involving Tortious Conduct by California Franchise Tax Board
By Charles Capouet and Jeff Friedman
In a 4-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Nevada courts’ exercise of jurisdiction over the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), but held, by a majority of the justices, that the taxpayer could only receive the damages Nevada provides for suits by private citizens against Nevada agencies. The…
What’s Good for Today’s Goose Is Not So Good for Yesterday’s Gander: California Board of Equalization Rejects Taxpayer’s Retroactive Economic Nexus Argument
By Evan Hamme and Timothy Gustafson
The California State Board of Equalization (Board) unanimously rejected Craigslist, Inc.’s (Craigslist) argument that California’s adoption of a factor-presence nexus regime in 2009 reflected pre-existing federal constitutional nexus standards pursuant to which Craigslist would be “subject to tax” in jurisdictions where it did not have a physical presence, and…
It Takes One to Know One: Occasional California Ruling Determines Disposition of Entire Line of Business Is an “Occasional Sale”
By Evan Hamme and Tim Gustafson
In a rare Chief Counsel Ruling (the first of 2015), the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) held that the sale of an entire line of business qualified as an “occasional sale” for corporate franchise tax purposes, thus requiring the selling taxpayer to exclude the resulting gross receipts from its…