The New York Tax Appeals Tribunal affirmed its prior decision, upholding an Administrative Law Judge’s issuance of a subpoena requiring three Department employees to appear, and for the Department to produce documents for in-camera review, which included third-party tax information. The Tribunal rejected the Department’s request for re-argument because the Department presented no new issues
Sales and Use Tax
Alabama Tax Tribunal flushes wastewater sales tax exemption denial
The Alabama Tax Tribunal (Tribunal) determined that a wastewater treatment facility was entitled to a sales and use tax exemption for equipment purchased for use in its wastewater treatment business because the equipment was used primarily for exempt pollution control purposes.
The taxpayer, a privately owned entity that provided wastewater collection and treatment services, had…
Tennessee DOR rules to tax subscription fees for mobile healthcare app
On October 24, 2025, the Tennessee Department of Revenue ruled that subscription fees for a mobile heart-health app were subject to sales and use tax. The taxpayer charged an annual flat per-user subscription fee to clients who make subscription offerings available as part of medical benefits to their employees and employees’ dependents. For the subscription…
Colorado Court of Appeals holds sales tax applies to streaming video service subscriptions
On July 3, 2025, the Colorado Court of Appeals held that sales of streaming video service subscriptions are subject to sales tax because they are sales of tangible personal property. Colorado imposes sales tax on retail sales and purchases of “tangible personal property,” which is defined as “corporeal personal property.” In 2021, the Department of…
Separate freight fees not included in Mississippi use tax base
The Supreme Court of Mississippi recently held that separate freight fees are not included in Mississippi use tax base. The taxpayer, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, paid use tax on certain tangible personal property that it used in Mississippi. It later paid freight charges to a third-party company to ship these goods to Mississippi and did…
Texas Supreme Court holds that correctional facilities are not exempt as government instrumentality
The Supreme Court of Texas ruled that a corporation that owns and operates correctional facilities was not exempt from sales and use taxes as an unincorporated instrumentality of the United States or Texas. The corporation runs private prisons and enters into contracts with federal and state government agencies to house inmates. The Comptroller assessed the…
Washington proposes limitation on MPU exemption for sales of software maintenance agreements
The Washington Department of Revenue issued proposed guidance limiting the application of the multiple points of use (MPU) sales tax exemption for bundled software maintenance agreements.
The MPU exemption provides a retail sales tax exemption for the purchase of digital goods, prewritten computer software, remotely accessed prewritten computer software, digital automated services, and digital codes…
New York Tax Appeals Tribunal holds sales of a company’s labor procurement system are taxable as pre-written software
The New York Tax Appeals Tribunal held that a company’s fees related to sales of its labor procurement system were taxable sales of pre-written software.
Taxpayer, Beeline.com Inc., provides services to assist customers in gathering, organizing, managing and assembling their contingent labor force. As part of its service contracts, taxpayer grants its customers license to…
Taxing truths: A discussion on the use tax implications in Ellingson Drainage
In the latest episode of the SALT Shaker Podcast, Eversheds Sutherland attorneys Jeff Friedman and Jeremy Gove welcome UConn School of Law Professor Rick Pomp to discuss Jeff and Professor Pomp’s US Supreme Court cert petition in Ellingson Drainage, Inc. v. South Dakota Department of Revenue.

Jeff, Jeremy and Professor Pomp delve into the…
Not so rewarding: Arizona Supreme Court holds rewards program reimbursements are subject to transaction privilege tax
On June 7, 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court held that reimbursements received by a hotel when participating in a hotel rewards program were subject to the Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT). The reimbursements were paid to the taxpayer when it provided a guest with a complementary hotel stay under the program. The rewards program required the…



