Today the Los Angeles Superior Court held that Comcast did not establish a unitary relationship with its 57% owned subsidiary, QVC. The court found for Comcast and held that the evidence presented at trial demonstrated that none of the unitary tests were satisfied. Finally, the court found for the state and held that Comcast’s receipt
income tax
In-and-Out in Oregon: Department Updates Rules on Apportionment and Adjustments
By Mary Alexander and Timothy Gustafson
In an administrative order, the Oregon Department of Revenue (1) repealed a rule related to Oregon’s Multistate Tax Compact (MTC) statute, (2) changed the method for utility and telecommunication providers to elect a double-weighted sales factor and (3) provided instructions on the time to adjust a return based on…
Fore! New York Tees Off on QETC Credits for Hollow Metal Golf Ball Production
By Ted Friedman and Andrew Appleby
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issued an Advisory Opinion regarding the availability of Qualified Emerging Technology Company (QETC) facilities, operations and training credits pertaining to purchases of patents and other property related to hollow metal golf ball production. The Department stated that QETC credits for…
Maine Issues Federal NOL Modification Guidance for C-Corporations
By Derek Takehara and Andrew Appleby
Maine Revenue Services issued a Guidance Document for C-corporations regarding state modifications to federal net operating losses (NOLs). In light of Maine’s inconsistent conformity with the federal NOL rules, the guidance contains helpful explanations and examples of Maine’s NOL methodology through the years. For federal tax purposes, losses generally…
Casino’s Litigation Gamble Pays Off: Mississippi Supreme Court Allows Tax Credits to Offset Combined Group’s Liability
By Madison Barnett and Prenitss Willson
The Mississippi Supreme Court held that a casino operator was entitled to use tax credits—specifically, gambling license fee credits—earned by one combined group member to offset the entire combined group’s liability. Mississippi is generally a separate return state, but taxpayers may elect to file a post-apportionment, nexus-combined return. The…
The Crossroads of Taxation: Receipts from Intangibles Sourced to Indiana Based on Market Exploitation and COP
By Zachary Atkins and Timothy Gustafson
The Indiana Department of State Revenue issued two letters of findings in which it concluded that a multistate corporation and its subsidiary were not entitled to source their receipts from franchise agreements based on costs of performance (COP) for corporate income tax purposes. The parent corporation entered into franchise…
The Department Doth Protest Too Much: Michigan Court of Appeals Rejects State’s Failure of Proof Defense in Costs of Performance Case
By Madison Barnett and Timothy Gustafson
The Michigan Court of Appeals held that a provider of event planning and coordination services presented sufficient evidence to support its costs of performance sales factor sourcing method, under which it sourced services receipts to the location where the event occurred. Over the Department’s arguments that the taxpayer failed…
Finnigan, Begin Again: California Regulation Reflects Finnigan Sourcing Methodology
By Sahang-Hee Hahn and Andrew Appleby
The California Franchise Tax Board amended its regulation governing the sourcing of sales of tangible personal property to reflect California’s statutory shift in 2009 to the Finnigan rule, effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011. As amended, the regulation assigns receipts from sales of tangible…
Where Credit Is Due: New York Securities Broker Sources Matched Principal Transactions Based on Production Credits
By Nicole Boutros and Timothy Gustafson
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issued an advisory opinion determining that a securities broker may source receipts from “matched principal transactions” based on the “production credit method” provided in New York tax law. The taxpayer was a U.S. entity operating in six states, including New…
Would You Like to Add Fries to That? Virginia Denies Fast Food Company’s Request for Intangible Expense Add-Back Relief
By Kathryn Pittman and Timothy Gustafson
The Virginia Tax Commissioner ruled a taxpayer’s licensing arrangements with a subsidiary intangible holding company (IHC) did not meet the unrelated party exception to Virginia’s intangible expense add-back statute. The taxpayer, a national operator and franchisor of fast food restaurants, created the IHC to hold its intangible property…



