After nearly a decade of stalled litigation in Illinois state court, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit permitted a group of taxpayers to proceed in federal court with their US constitutional challenge to property tax assessments, over Tax Injunction Act and comity objections by Cook County. While the district court held that
property tax
California Court Rules that New Parcel Tax Needed Two-Thirds Vote
A California Superior Court ruled that a City of Oakland ballot measure seeking to impose a 30 year parcel tax to fund educational programs required a two-thirds vote. Ballot measure AA was the result of a citizens’ initiative. In publicly circulated materials prior to the election, the City Attorney indicated that passage of Measure AA…
Level Up: Oregon Tax Court Increases Value of Telecommunications Company Property’s Real Market Value
On October 25, 2019, the Oregon Tax Court upheld the Department of Revenue’s proposed increase in the real market value of Level 3’s centrally assessed property. Level 3 operated an optical fiber network and provided various communication services. It argued that the Oregon Department of Revenue should not have included in its “unit” certain “investment…
It’s In The Way That You Use It: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Applies “Great Integral Machine” Doctrine
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts held that pipes and appurtenant equipment used by a taxpayer to produce, store and distribute steam for heating and power generation were exempt from local personal property tax as manufacturing property. Affirming the Appellate Tax Board, the court applied the “great integral machine” doctrine to find that the pipes…
Georgia Legislature Enacts Significant Income, Sales, and Property Tax Legislation
The Georgia legislative session concluded on March 29, 2018. In addition to two major bills relating to federal tax reform, Georgia enacted several other pieces of notable tax legislation.
View the full Legal Alert.
New York State Budget Adopts Substantial Changes in Response to Federal TCJA
The New York Legislature passed its 2018-2019 Fiscal Year budget on March 30, 2018, which is expected to be signed into law by Governor Cuomo. The Legislature responded to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed by the United States Congress late last year by excluding IRC § 965 repatriated income from New York…
California Declines to Extend Landing-Based Situs Property Tax Rule to All Aircraft
By Liz Cha and Carley Roberts
The California Court of Appeal held that the entire value of an air taxi company’s jets were subject to the County of Los Angeles 1% personal property tax, despite the fact that the jets spent 40% of their time outside of California. The court reasoned that the brief touchdowns…
DC Office of Tax and Revenue Launches New QHTC Sales and Use Tax Exemption Application/Pre-Certification Process
On November 1, 2017, the District of Columbia will begin implementing a new sales and use tax exemption application process for Qualified High Technology Companies (QHTCs). The new application procedure signifies a shift to essentially a pre-certification process and creates new documentation requirements for companies seeking QHTC benefits. Key considerations include:
- Companies will now be
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Sixth Circuit Rejects a Narrow Reading of TIA to Deny Religious Nonprofit Federal Remedy
By Alla Raykin and Charlie Kearns
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that the Tax Injunction Act (TIA) barred a religious nonprofit from bringing a federal suit over Tennessee’s denial of a retroactive property tax exemption. In Islamic Ctr. of Nashville v. Tennessee, the Islamic Center of Nashville sought…
Congress Holds Hearing on Legislation to Limit State Taxation
On July 25, 2017, the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law conducted a hearing on “No Regulation Without Representation: HR 2887 and the Growing Problem of States Regulating Beyond Their Borders.” This hearing was important for several reasons:
- State tax nexus legislation has been one of the
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