A recording of the Sutherland SALT Quick Call: Deciphering Wynne with Professor Walter Hellerstein is now available. In this Quick Call, Jeff Friedman and Professor Hellerstein discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Maryland Comptroller v. Wynne and its implications.
Maryland
Wynne Court Holds That Internal Consistency Lives, Applies to Taxation of Resident
A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Maryland’s personal income tax regime is unconstitutional. Comptroller of the Treasury v. Wynne, 575 U.S. __ (2015). The Court affirmed the Maryland Court of Appeals in a 5-4 decision and held that Maryland unconstitutionally created the risk of multiple taxation.
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Taxpayer Wynne’s: Supreme Court Rules Maryland Personal Income Tax Violates Constitution
This morning the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Maryland’s personal income tax regime is unconstitutional. By failing to provide a full credit to its residents for taxes paid to other states, Maryland unconstitutionally created the risk of multiple taxation. The Maryland Court of Appeals was affirmed. The decision was 5-4, with the majority opinion authored…
Lack of Economic Substance Leaves a Bad Taste: Maryland Tax Court Upholds Assessment against Out-of-State Holding Company Based on Parent’s Nexus
By Evan Hamme and Timothy Gustafson
The Maryland Tax Court held that the Comptroller can subject an out-of-state subsidiary holding company to tax because the subsidiary did not have real economic substance separate from its parent, which conducted business in the state. The Comptroller assessed ConAgra Brands, Inc. (Brands) for the 1996-2003 tax years, arguing…
Maryland Seeks Cash, Not Credit, Before Supreme Court
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Sutherland Files Amicus Brief for the Maryland Chamber in Wynne
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce has entered the battle against Maryland’s unconstitutional personal income tax regime. Filing as amicus curiae before the U.S. Supreme Court in Maryland State Comptroller of the Treasury v. Wynne, the Maryland Chamber identified the fatal flaw with Maryland’s personal income tax: by not providing full relief to Maryland residents…
Maryland Court of Appeals: Out-of-State Delaware Holding Companies Licensing Patents to Parent Company Doing Business in Maryland Subject to Maryland Tax
Today, the Maryland Court of Appeals held that Maryland may tax out-of-state Delaware holding companies that license patents to their parent company, which was doing business in Maryland. Gore Enterprise Holdings, Inc. v. Comptroller of the Treasury and Future Value, Inc. v. Comptroller of the Treasury. The ramifications of this decision are significant because…
A “Wynne” for Maryland Taxpayers: Double Taxation of Pass-Through Income Ruled Unconstitutional
By Mary Alexander and Prentiss Willson
The disallowance of a credit for income taxes paid to other states against Maryland’s county income tax was ruled unconstitutional as a violation of the dormant Commerce Clause by the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Maryland’s income tax, which includes both state and county components, is imposed on all…
Utah Quietly Expands Affiliate Nexus Statute
On March 22, 2012, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed House Bill 384 (2012) into law, expanding the types of companies that are required to collect and remit Utah sales and use tax. HB 384 requires sellers that hold “substantial ownership interests” in certain “related sellers” to collect and remit Utah sales and use tax. Today, the Utah State Tax Commission released guidance on how to determine whether a business entity’s activities trigger the state’s new affiliate nexus law. The new nexus regulations go into effect on July 1, 2012.
The new affiliate nexus law, Utah Code Ann. § 59-12-107(2)(b), treats a seller as if it is selling tangible personal property, a service, or a product transferred electronically for use in Utah and will be required to collect and remit sales and use taxes if:Continue Reading Utah Quietly Expands Affiliate Nexus Statute
A Swing and a Miss: No Refund for Baseball Team Owner Following Federal Audit
A decision by Maryland’s highest court illustrates the complexities taxpayers face in reporting federal income tax audit changes for state income tax purposes. The Maryland Court of Appeals held that an individual must claim a state income tax refund resulting from a “final” federal audit change within one year of the Internal Revenue Service’s issuance of Form 4549A, Income Tax Examination Changes, rather than the date when the taxpayer could no longer appeal the Service’s determination. King v. Comptr. of Treas., 2012 WL 592788 (Md. Feb. 24, 2012), aff’g Md. App. (unreported), rev’g 2009 WL 6767497 (Calvert Cnty Cir. Ct. Nov. 12, 2009), rev’g Md. Tax Ct. (Aug. 28, 2008), aff’g Md. Comptr. Off. Hrg. and App. Section.
The taxpayer, who is the ex-wife of author Tom Clancy, owned a limited partnership interest in the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. A federal income tax audit of the partnership resulted in the IRS adjusting certain partnership items using Form 870-PT, Agreement for Partnership Items and Partnership Level Determinations. The partnership adjustments flowed through to the taxpayer’s personal income tax return and permitted her to utilize additional losses, thereby reducing her federal taxable income. The IRS reported the impact of the partnership’s flow through adjustments to the taxpayer on Form 4549A, after which the taxpayer had a minimum of six months to challenge the IRS’ adjustments.Continue Reading A Swing and a Miss: No Refund for Baseball Team Owner Following Federal Audit



