In this episode of the SALT Shaker Podcast, Eversheds Sutherland Associates Jeremy Gove and Annie Rothschild delve into a recent decision out of the California Court of Appeal – Metropoulos Family Trust v. Franchise Tax Board. The court ruled for the Franchise Tax Board, affirming the trial court’s decision that non-resident S corporation shareholders
pass-through
California Court of Appeal rules shareholders’ flow-through S corporation intangible income is apportionable, not sourced to shareholders’ domiciles
The California Court of Appeal ruled that nonresident shareholders were subject to California tax on their pro rata shares of intangible income from an S corporation’s sale of shares in a subsidiary. This sale of intangibles (goodwill of a business) was sourced as business income apportioned at the S corporation level, not as intangible income…
Profits or Salary? New Jersey Tax Court Determines Distributions Are Dividends, Not Compensation for Services
The New Jersey Tax Court held that distributions made to a corporation’s two shareholders constituted dividends, and rejected the corporation’s argument that the distributions should be treated as compensation for managerial services that could be deducted for New Jersey Corporation Business Tax purposes. The Court explained that New Jersey has adopted the federal test to…
Maryland Tax Court Strikes Again: Out-of-State LLCs Liable for Maryland Income Tax
The Maryland Tax Court held that six nonresident Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) wholly-owned by another out-of-state limited liability company owed Maryland income tax despite the fact that the LLCs, as disregarded entities, had no federal income tax liability. Maryland law imposes an income tax “on each pass-through entity that has . . . any member…
New York State Tax Appeals Tribunal: Assessment of Non-Admitted Alien Insurance Companies Violated Tax Treaty and Foreign Commerce Clause
By Huy “Mike” Le and Andrew Appleby
The New York State Tax Appeals Tribunal (Tribunal) held that the Department’s assessment of two non-admitted German insurance companies violated the United States-Germany Tax Treaty’s anti-discrimination clause and the US Constitution’s Foreign Commerce Clause.
The alien non-admitted non-life insurance companies had no premiums from sources in the United…
US Supreme Court’s Ruling Bolsters Taxpayers’ First Amendment Right To Pass Through Fees (and Taxes)
A recent US Supreme Court decision on surcharges strengthened taxpayers’ First Amendment rights when deciding how they present pass-through fees and taxes to their customers.
- The Supreme Court held that a New York statute prohibiting a seller from imposing a credit surcharge was a speech regulation, subject to heightened scrutiny, because it regulates how retailers
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California Court of Appeal Holds Doing Business ≠ Any Activity Engaged In for Pecuniary Gain
On January 12, 2017, the California Court of Appeal held in a published opinion that a taxpayer passively holding a 0.2 percent interest in a California-based limited liability company (CA LLC) was not “doing business” in the state for purposes of being subject to California’s franchise tax. The court reasoned as follows:
- Under California Revenue
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NYC Tax Appeals Tribunal Finds LLC Owes Real Property Transfer Tax Under Step Transaction Doctrine
By Ted Friedman and Charlie Kearns
The New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal held that the Petitioner, a Delaware LLC, owed New York City real property transfer tax (RPTT) on the transfer of an interest in certain real property. The Tribunal applied the step transaction doctrine and treated the contribution of the Petitioner’s tenant-in-common interest…
Ohio Supreme Court Rules that Taxing Out-of-State Investor’s Capital Gain Violates Due Process Clause
By Chris Mehrmann and Leah Robinson
The Ohio Supreme Court held that the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution precluded Ohio from taxing a nonresident individual on an apportioned share of his gain from the sale of a limited liability company that conducted business in the state. During the relevant time period, Ohio Rev.
Eleventh Circuit Invalidates Florida’s Rental Tax but Upholds Utility Tax on Electricity Delivered to Tribal Lands
By Michael Penza and Amy Nogid
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit invalidated Florida’s rental tax imposed on the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s (the Tribe) leases of tribal land to non-Indian corporations, but upheld Florida’s utility tax collected from the Tribe.
The Tribe operated casinos on two of its reservations; non-Indian corporations…