State & Local
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April 10, 2025
Pa. Justices Try To Referee Pittsburgh's 'Jock Tax'
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court justices looked to punt Thursday on whether the city of Pittsburgh's "jock tax" was uniform enough to pass constitutional muster, taking the unusual step of ordering extra briefing on how the city might offer tax credits for the 3% levy it put on nonresident entertainers' income earned at publicly funded venues.
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April 10, 2025
Sullivan & Worcester Hires Fried Frank REIT Tax Pro
Sullivan & Worcester LLP announced Thursday that it has hired a Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP partner, noting that the attorney comes to the firm with deep real estate investment trust tax expertise.
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April 10, 2025
Dechert Tax Pro Jumps To Whiteford In NY
Whiteford Taylor & Preston LLC has added an experienced transactional tax attorney from Dechert LLP as a partner to its practice in New York, the firm announced.
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April 10, 2025
Wash. To Require Reports For News Publishers' Tax Breaks
Washington state will require businesses that claim a tax break for the publication of newspapers or eligible digital media content to either file a tax performance report with the state or repay the tax at a special rate under clarifying legislation signed by the governor.
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April 10, 2025
Maine Bill Seeks To End Exemption For Rental Vehicle Sales
Maine would get rid of a sales tax exemption for purchased vehicles that are rented out for less than a year under a bill introduced Thursday in the state Senate.
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April 10, 2025
Texas Senate OKs Bill Creating Tangible Property Tax Break
Texas would have voters decide if the state should create a tax break for income-producing tangible personal property, allowing owners to exempt a portion of its value from tax under a resolution unanimously passed by the state Senate.
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April 09, 2025
NJ Will Pay $15M To Settle County's Casino Tax Break Lawsuit
Atlantic County and the state of New Jersey have reached a $15 million settlement over a dispute related to a property tax break program for casinos that the county argued unconstitutionally shifted the tax burden to its municipalities.
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April 09, 2025
Colo. House Panel Backs Suit Over TABOR's Constitutionality
Colorado would retain counsel and file suit to determine whether the state's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of republican forms of government for the states under a resolution approved by a House panel.
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April 09, 2025
La. Revenue Chief Expects Bills To Broaden Sales Tax Base
Louisiana may try to broaden its sales and use tax regime to include more services, the state's revenue secretary said Wednesday, noting that bills filed ahead of the Legislature's session next week shows tax reform will continue to be a priority.
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April 09, 2025
Mass. Town's Comparable Sales Rejected By Tax Board
A three-family apartment building in Massachusetts was overvalued by a local assessor by about $40,000, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board ruled, saying the owner's argument that the assessed value was greater than fair cash value proved persuasive.
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April 09, 2025
Minn. Biz Groups Bash Social Media Data Tax Bills
Business and technology groups panned Minnesota legislation to tax data collection by social media platforms, saying Wednesday that the cost, estimated at nearly $100 million annually, would be borne by consumers and hurt the state's economy.
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April 09, 2025
Calif. OTA Denies Bad Debt Deduction For S Corp.'s Payments
A California shareholder in an S corporation that invested in another company is not eligible to claim a bad debt deduction, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled, saying he failed to prove that the S corporation's payments were bona fide debts.
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April 09, 2025
Calif. Couple Not Eligible For Refund, OTA Rules
A California couple claiming to have no taxable income and who asked for a refund for the amount withheld from them has not proved they were eligible for a refund for the 2020 tax year, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled.
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April 09, 2025
Colo. Will Offer $34M Tax Break To Sundance Film Fest
Colorado will offer the Sundance Film Festival a $34 million income tax credit now that the festival has decided to relocate to the state, under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
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April 09, 2025
Ga. General Fund Receipts Through March Up $543M
Georgia's general fund collection from July through March beat last year's earnings by $543 million, according to a report from the state governor's office.
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April 09, 2025
SD General Fund Revenues Beat Forecasts By $5M
South Dakota's general fund revenue collection from July through March beat forecasts by $5.3 million, according to the state Bureau of Finance and Management.
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April 09, 2025
Mont. Gives Taxpayers An Electronic Communications Option
Montana gave taxpayers the option to receive communications from the state Department of Revenue electronically under a bill signed by the governor.
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April 08, 2025
Colo. Appeals Court Urged To Toss Transportation Fees
Colorado's 2021 transportation funding law violates the state Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and related provisions, an anti-tax group told an appeals court panel Tuesday, urging it to reverse a district court order that stopped its lawsuit.
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April 08, 2025
Md. Lawmakers OK Tax on Data Services, High Earners
Maryland would impose a tax on data service and create new income tax brackets for high earners under a budget package passed by the legislature, which next goes to the governor, who has voiced support for the measure.
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April 08, 2025
Md. Lawmakers OK Payment Plans For Incarcerated Taxpayers
Maryland taxpayers who are currently or were incarcerated would be eligible for installment plans for tax liabilities under legislation approved by state lawmakers.
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April 08, 2025
Calif. OTA Says Motorcycle Co. President Owes Tax Liability
The president of a former motorcycle sales business in California is liable to pay the company's assessed tax liability because she failed to prove she was not the responsible person, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled.
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April 08, 2025
Mass. Board Upholds Town's Value Of Commerical Property
An owner of a commercial property in Massachusetts failed to produce comparable sales to substantiate reducing the property's valuation by more than $400,000, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled Tuesday.
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April 08, 2025
Calif. Auto Body Shop Successor Owes Tax Liability, OTA Says
The purchaser of a California auto body shop is considered the successor of the business and therefore must pay the business's remaining sales and use tax liability, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled.
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April 08, 2025
Pa. Court Restores Original Assessment Of Couple's Home
A Pennsylvania trial court incorrectly increased the value of a couple's home, but the couple failed to prove the original assessment from the city should be decreased, the state's Commonwealth Court ruled.
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April 08, 2025
Mo. Senate OKs Capital Gains Tax Exemption
Missouri would create a capital gains tax exemption, as well as a sales tax exemption for broadband equipment, diapers and feminine hygiene products, under a bill passed by the state Senate.
Expert Analysis
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens
States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Finally Better Online Records At Revenue?
The Kentucky Department of Revenue has not taken significant visible steps toward complying with legislation requiring it to post administrative guidance on its website starting no later than Nov. 15, and refusal to do so would widen the transparency gap between the state and its more business-friendly neighbors, say attorneys at Frost Brown.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Overreach In Texas And An Acronym In Peril: SALT In Review
From the Council on State Taxation's take on a proposal in Texas to the potential end of a fundamental truth in Montana, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
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NY Tax Talk: Questions In Corporate Franchise Tax Regs Case
In the first challenge to New York's Corporate Franchise Tax regulations — Paychex v. Department of Taxation and Finance — the court has an important opportunity to provide clarity on a major retroactive application issue, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
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How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.