Shaking things up in state and local tax
Shaking things up in state and local tax
By Stephen Burroughs and Tim Gustafson
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied a freight company’s Commerce Clause challenge to the application of an unapportioned use tax on its vehicles purchased out-of-state but used in Massachusetts. The company used its trucks to deliver freight in multiple states, but the court upheld taxation of the vehicles’ full…
By Nicole Boutros and Jeff Friedman
The Director of the Arizona Department of Revenue affirmed an Administrative Law Judge determination that a taxpayer must pay the Transaction Privilege Tax on sales of access to the taxpayer’s subscription-based online research service. The Director reasoned that these sales were taxable as rentals of tangible personal property—and not…
By Ted Friedman and Carley Roberts
The West Virginia Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) ruled that an out-of-state corporation, with no physical location or employees in West Virginia, owed sales and use tax on sales of garage equipment in the state. The OTA determined that the corporation had nexus with West Virginia based on its…
By Hanish Patel and Open Weaver Banks
A New York Division of Tax Appeals Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) held that an electricity producer’s purchases, installations and repairs of “step-up transformers” were not subject to sales and use tax because the transformers were “used directly” in the production of electricity. Step-up transformers are used to “step…
By Chris Mehrmann and Scott Wright
The Alabama Tax Tribunal invalidated a regulation requiring a direct pay permit holder, Tyson Chicken, Inc. (Tyson), to purchase all items tax-free, finding that the regulation was both unreasonable and unduly burdensome. Although Tyson purchased most items tax-free using its direct pay permit, Tyson employees used corporate credit or…
By Jessica Eisenmenger and Amy Nogid
The West Virginia Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) upheld a sales tax assessment against an out-of-state company that provided taxable outside maintenance services such as snow removal and window cleaning in the state via independent contractors. The Administrative Law Judge reasoned that since “nothing happens” unless the independent contractors…
By Olga Goldberg and Leah Robinson
The West Virginia Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) ruled in favor of a rail transportation company subject to use tax on fuel used in West Virginia because the West Virginia State Tax Department (Department) incorrectly applied the credit against use tax for sales tax paid to “another state.” First…
By Chris Mehrmann and Charlie Kearns
The Tennessee Department of Revenue has issued guidance explaining that the retail sale of, use of, or subscription to a computer software maintenance contract is subject to sales and use tax when: (1) the maintenance contract is sold as part of a taxable sale of computer software; (2) the…
By Jonathan Feldman and Hanish Patel
The Georgia Department of Revenue issued a proposed regulation amending the use of direct pay permits for state and local sales and use taxes. The proposed regulation would cause all current permits to expire on December 31, 2016, and require all current holders to reapply and agree to certain…
By Jessica Eisenmenger and Leah Robinson
The Alabama Tax Tribunal ruled that freight charges paid by the seller but passed through on an invoice to the customer are not subject to sales tax. Alabama law exempts shipping and freight charges “paid by the purchaser” from sales tax. Chief Tax Tribunal Judge Bill Thompson ruled that such…
