State & Local
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May 27, 2025
Ruling Tariffs Unlawful Would 'Kneecap' Trump, Gov't Says
A ruling from a D.C. federal judge invalidating the Trump administration's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping global tariffs would "kneecap" the president and cause "diplomatic embarrassment," a government attorney told a Washington, D.C., federal judge in court Tuesday.
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May 27, 2025
Mich. Fuel Supplier Fights $8.7M Tax Bill Over Flight Credit
A fuel supplier is challenging the Michigan Department of Treasury's determination that the company cannot claim credit for interstate flights on its returns because it is not an airline operator and is now liable for $8.7 million in tax and interest.
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May 27, 2025
Ariz. Asks Justices To Skip Tax Fight Over Plant On Tribe Land
Arizona's tax agency urged the U.S. Supreme Court to pass on a power company's claims that property taxes were illegally levied on a power plant it owns on tribal land, saying the justices have consistently upheld taxes on tribal reservations that solely fall on non-Native Americans.
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May 27, 2025
Wash. To Give Credit Against Gains Tax, End B&O Tax Credit
Washington state will provide a credit against the state's tax on capital gains for sales that are subject to both capital gains tax and business and occupation tax, and repeal a B&O tax credit, under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 27, 2025
Ohio Board Misinterpreted Commercial Activity Tax, Org Says
The Ohio Board of Tax Appeals incorrectly ruled that the state's commercial activity tax doesn't apply to a West Virginia car dealership's sales of cars that were brought to Ohio by customers, a group of Ohio car dealerships told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.
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May 27, 2025
Texas Lawmakers OK Tax Break To Revive Inactive Oil Wells
Texas would create a severance tax exemption to provide incentives for oil and gas operators to bring inactive gas and oil wells back into production under a bill passed by the state Senate, going next to Gov. Greg Abbott.
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May 27, 2025
Va. Tax Refund Denied For HVAC Equipment Sale
A Virginia buyer who paid sales tax on heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment installed on real property cannot obtain a refund of that payment, the state's tax commissioner said in a ruling released Tuesday.
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May 27, 2025
Kentucky Revenue Through April Falls $27M From Last Year
Kentucky's general fund revenue from July through April dropped by $27 million from the same period last fiscal year, according to the state budget director's office.
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May 27, 2025
Tenn. Establishes Tax On Wholesale Cannabinoid Sales
Tennessee established a tax on the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products at wholesale and removed a 6% retail sales tax on such products under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 27, 2025
Feds Can't Turn Off NY Funding In Congestion Pricing Fight
A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked as "arbitrary and capricious" a Trump administration threat to withhold federal transportation funds from New York as part of a White House effort to undo New York City's congestion pricing program.
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May 23, 2025
Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar
This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.
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May 23, 2025
Va. Gear Dealer Denied Sales Tax Break Over Flawed Form
A Virginia construction equipment dealer is liable for taxes on certain sales because it filed an exemption certificate that a customer incorrectly filled out, the state's tax commissioner ruled.
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May 23, 2025
Jurisdiction Issue Revives Challenges To Conn. Foreclosures
A Connecticut trial court must address three trusts' challenges to its jurisdiction over the tax foreclosures of their properties, a state appeals court ruled, saying the lower court failed to tackle the issue in ruling against the trusts.
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May 23, 2025
SC Conforms To Federal Tax Code Through 2024
South Carolina updated the conformity of its tax laws to the Internal Revenue Code through the end of 2024 under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 23, 2025
Mich. Justices To Hear Law Firm's Roof 'Addition' Appeal
Michigan's highest court said it will review whether a law firm office building's new roof was an addition to the property for the purposes of evaluating taxable value, meaning the property's value could increase beyond a 5% cap.
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May 23, 2025
Va. Deed Tax Due On Actual Property Value, Ruling Says
Virginia's deed recordation tax is paid based on the current assessed value of a property, rather than its value during a foreclosure sale, the state tax commissioner said.
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May 23, 2025
Va. Tax Boss OKs Use Tax On Gear Leased From Affiliate
A Virginia general contractor was correctly assessed use tax on equipment it rented from an out-of-state company it owned, the state's tax commissioner ruled, rejecting the taxpayer's argument that the companies should not be viewed as separate entities.
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May 23, 2025
Va. Sales Tax Audit Can Go Back 6 Years, Tax Head Says
Virginia's tax agency correctly extended the period of its sales and use tax audit concerning a farm used as a rental venue, as there is reasonable cause to believe the taxpayer failed to file a return, the state tax commissioner said.
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May 23, 2025
Va. Couple Denied Tax Break For Unappraised Large Gifts
A Virginia couple did not sufficiently substantiate noncash donations claimed as income tax deductions, the state tax commissioner ruled, saying they did not provide the appraisals required when categories of aggregated donations exceeded $5,000.
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May 23, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Troutman, A&O Shearman
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Blackstone acquires TXNM Energy, OpenAI buys io Products, Lumen Technologies sells its Mass Markets fiber-to-the-home business in 11 states to AT&T, and AMD sells its data center infrastructure manufacturing business to Sanmina.
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May 23, 2025
Texas House OKs Internet Access Services Tax Exemption
Texas would exempt internet access services from sales tax under an amended bill passed by lawmakers, sending it back to the state Senate for approval.
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May 23, 2025
Ohio Board Denies Tax Break For City's Rented Office Building
An office building owned by an Ohio city's economic development entity isn't exempt from property taxes because the property is controlled by a nonprofit that leases space to for-profit businesses, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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May 23, 2025
ND General Fund Revenues Up $108M From Forecast
North Dakota's general fund revenue from July 2023 through April beat estimates by $108 million, according to the state Legislative Council.
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May 23, 2025
RI Revenues Through March Up $29M From Forecasts
Rhode Island's general fund revenue collection for July through April outpaced estimates by $29 million, the state Department of Revenue reported.
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May 23, 2025
Virginia Recycler Denied Credit On Past Equipment Purchase
A Virginia company was correctly denied a tax credit for the purchase of recycling equipment because it was purchased in a previous year, the state tax commissioner ruled.
Expert Analysis
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Shake-Ups For Courts In Different Fields: SALT In Review
From the end of Chevron deference in the courts to the planned sale of the NBA's reigning champion, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Appeals Court Revisits Leases' Tax Effects
With better facts and greater emphasis on the Kentucky Constitution, Walgreen Co. may succeed in its latest Kentucky Court of Appeals challenge to a tax assessor's method of valuing leaseholds on real property for purposes of determining ad valorem tax, say Mark Sommer and Elizabeth Ethington at Frost Brown Todd.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Reading Between The Lines Of Justices' Moore Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Moore v. U.S. decision, that the Internal Revenue Code Section 965 did not violate the 16th Amendment, was narrowly tailored to minimally disrupt existing tax regimes, but the justices' various opinions leave the door open to future tax challenges and provide clues for what the battles may look like, say Caroline Ngo and Le Chen at McDermott.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Another Crack In The Shield: SALT In Review
From the latest assault on a federal shield against taxing out-of-state businesses to an update on beer taxes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.