Shaking things up in state and local tax
Shaking things up in state and local tax
By Liz Cha and Timothy Gustafson
In its first decision on combined unitary reporting since Vermont adopted combined reporting in 2006, the Vermont Supreme Court held that the AIG insurance group was not unitary with its wholly owned ski resort subsidiary, Stowe Mountain Resort. Applying the U.S. Supreme Court’s test for unity articulated in Mobil…
In a decision sure to give Pennsylvania legislators and the Department of Revenue indigestion before their big Thanksgiving meals, the Commonwealth Court held that Pennsylvania’s net loss carryover deduction cap violated Pennsylvania’s Uniformity Clause because it resulted in disparate treatment of similarly situated taxpayers based on the size of the business.
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By Nick Kump and Timothy Gustafson
The Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission overturned a $2.4 million assessment against an intellectual property (IP) holding company, ruling that the company’s income-producing activities for Wisconsin sales factor purposes – IP licensing and related activities – occurred entirely outside of the state. The taxpayer, a wholly owned subsidiary of the…
By Zack Atkins and Timothy Gustafson
The Oregon Tax Court held that the Multistate Tax Compact (Compact), which allows for an equally weighted, three-factor apportionment formula, was an illusory contract and its terms had been effectively disabled by the Oregon Legislature. The statute in question, ORS 314.606, provides that in case of conflict the provisions…
By Michael Penza and Timothy Gustafson
The Utah State Tax Commission ruled that a Utah-based manufacturing and marketing company’s payroll factor must include compensation paid to a third-party “professional employer organization” (PEO) pursuant to a lease agreement for employees working at the taxpayer’s Utah facilities. The employees signed employment agreements with the PEO, and the…
In Part I of their series for State Tax Notes, Sutherland attorneys Leah Robinson and Evan M. Hamme provided a roadmap describing how to challenge a department of revenue’s assertion that online services are taxable as licenses of software. While focused on New York audits, the roadmap can assist in any similar audit.
In Part…
In a recent unpublished decision, Residuary Trust A v. Director, Division of Taxation (Kassner), the New Jersey Appellate Division relied on the “square corners doctrine” to hold that the New Jersey Division of Taxation was prohibited from imposing tax for the 2006 tax year based on a policy change not announced until 2011. In…
By Michael Penza and Timothy Gustafson
The Virginia Tax Commissioner upheld an upward adjustment to a taxpayer’s payroll factor attributing to Virginia all compensation that the taxpayer had reported to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) for purposes of the state’s unemployment insurance tax. The taxpayer, a Virginia-based contractor providing security services for the United States…
From September 1, 2015, through October 30, 2015, the Comptroller of Maryland will administer a Tax Amnesty Program for tax periods beginning before December 31, 2014. Eligible taxpayers that participate in the Program will receive a waiver of certain civil penalties and a reduction of 50% of the interest associated with certain delinquent taxes.
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By Nicole Boutros and Amy Nogid
The New Jersey Tax Court ruled that the Division of Taxation (“Division”) properly required a foreign (non-New Jersey domesticated) corporation to file corporation business tax (“CBT”) returns reporting licensing revenue from its parent attributable to New Jersey, based on New Jersey’s economic presence nexus standard, despite the parent’s royalty…
