State & Local
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April 02, 2025
Judge Backs Mo. Tax Commission's Property Value Rollback
The Missouri State Tax Commission was within its authority to order a Missouri county to reduce property valuations it made on most residential properties following 2023 assessments, a circuit court judge ruled, disagreeing with the county that assessments were done correctly and the commission's order was illegal.
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April 02, 2025
Senate GOP Plan Would Extend TCJA, Allow $1.5T In Tax Cuts
Senate Budget Committee Republicans released a budget proposal Wednesday that would permanently extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and allow for up to $1.5 trillion in other tax cuts.
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April 02, 2025
Pa. Court Revives Abandoned Tax Appeal For School District
A property assessment appeal can move forward at the request of a school district despite the property owners moving to discontinue the case, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled, saying the district was entitled to a resolution of the dispute.
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April 02, 2025
Montana Revenue Drops $59M Through March
Montana's general fund revenue collection from July through March dropped roughly $59 million from last year, according to a report by the state Department of Revenue.
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April 02, 2025
Ind. To Provide Tax Breaks For WNBA All-Star Game, Events
Indiana will provide various tax exemptions for the WNBA All-Star Game and related events to be held in the state this summer under a bill signed by the governor.
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April 02, 2025
Fla. Net Revenues Through Feb. Beat Estimates By $694M
Florida's general fund revenue from July through February outpaced estimates by $694 million, according to a report by the state Office of Economic Demographic Research.
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April 02, 2025
W.Va. Revenue Through March Up $101M From Estimate
West Virginia's general fund revenue collection from July through March beat a budget estimate by $101 million, according to a report by the state Budget Office.
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April 02, 2025
Mich. Will Allow Filing Extensions For Storm Victims
Michigan taxpayers who reside in counties affected by severe winter storms will be able to request an extension of state filing and payment deadlines, the state Treasury Department announced.
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April 01, 2025
NRA Says Colo. Excise Tax On Gun Sales Is Unconstitutional
The National Rifle Association and other gun rights advocates have filed a lawsuit in Colorado state court challenging a voter-approved tax on the sale of firearms, contending the tax lacks the historical grounding to pass recent U.S. Supreme Court tests for laws limiting Second Amendment rights.
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April 01, 2025
NJ Cigar Co.'s Tax Base Dispute Teed Up For Trial
A cigar seller that is subject to tobacco tax in New Jersey will get a chance at trial to show the wholesale price that should be used to calculate the company's tax base, the New Jersey Tax Court said Tuesday.
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April 01, 2025
Calif. AG Backs Latest Bid To Extend False Claims Act To Tax
California would make another attempt to expand the state's False Claims Act to include tax matters, according to legislation filed in the state Senate, with the support of the state attorney general.
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April 01, 2025
NJ Lawmakers Balk At Gov.'s Proposed Tax Hikes
Many members of the New Jersey Senate's budget committee sought to distance themselves Tuesday from some tax increases proposed in Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's budget, saying there is little appetite for the hikes.
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April 01, 2025
Ohio Justices Won't Hear 3rd-Party Property Tax Appeal Case
The Ohio Supreme Court declined Tuesday to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of third-party property tax appeal restrictions, leaving in place an appellate court's dismissal of the matter.
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April 01, 2025
Ohio Justices Skeptical Of Tax On Items Temporarily In State
Several Ohio Supreme Court justices sounded inclined Tuesday to agree with claims from out-of-state businesses that their receipts from sales of products shipped to Ohio warehouses before being sent to other states shouldn't be subject to Ohio's gross receipts tax.
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April 01, 2025
Idaho Boosts Property Tax Breaks By $100M
Idaho will increase tax breaks for property owners in the state starting this year and every year thereafter under a bill signed by the governor.
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March 31, 2025
Feds Seek $3M From Ex-Ill. Speaker, Who Wants New Trial
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan urged an Illinois federal judge to acquit him of bribery and wire fraud, or at least order a new trial, due to "numerous" jury instruction and evidentiary errors that confused and prejudiced the jury, on the same day prosecutors filed a motion for him to forfeit more than $3 million in the wake of his partial conviction.
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March 31, 2025
Mass. Rule Would Narrow P.L. 86-272 Tax Shield On Cookies
Massachusetts would become the latest state to adopt the Multistate Tax Commission's position that out-of-state companies that engage in certain internet activities aren't entitled to P.L. 86-272's protection against state income taxes under a regulation the state tax agency proposed.
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March 31, 2025
NYC Fights Group's Claim Of Biased Property Tax System
An organization that says New York City's property tax regime discriminates against minorities can't proceed with its claim, the city told the state appellate court, saying that further discovery or trial is needed.
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March 31, 2025
Tobacco Co. Says Colo. Must Give Up Extra Tax Revenue
Colorado failed to refund tobacco taxes it collected that exceeded state projections for a fiscal year and failed to lower the taxes' rates in subsequent years, violations of the state Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a tobacco distributor said in a suit seeking a refund.
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March 31, 2025
Justices Probe Wis. Denial Of Exemption To Catholic Charities
Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court seemed deeply skeptical Monday that Wisconsin was on firm constitutional grounds in denying an unemployment tax exemption to a group of Catholic charities because, as the state claimed, they were not operated primarily for religious purposes.
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March 31, 2025
Utah Creates Sales Tax Break For Energy Facility Operators
Utah established a sales and use tax exemption for purchases of some tangible personal property by operators of facilities that manufacture energy storage devices or equipment to provide electrical power under a bill signed by the governor.
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March 31, 2025
Utah Requires Min. Property Tax Rate Consensus Certification
Utah will require a minimum property tax rate imposed by school districts to be certified by the state's tax commission, the governor's Office of Planning and Budget and the state Legislature's Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst under a bill signed by the governor.
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March 31, 2025
Vt. General Revenue Collection Up $156M From Last Year
Vermont's general fund revenue from July through February outpaced last year during the same period by $156 million, according to a report from the state Agency of Administration released Monday
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March 30, 2025
La. Voters Reject Rewrite Of Constitution's Tax Provisions
Louisiana voters rejected an overhaul of the state constitution's tax provisions that would have reduced the maximum income tax rate that can be imposed and required tax exemptions and credits to receive supermajority approval in the state Legislature.
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March 29, 2025
Up Next At High Court: Terror Liability, Health Provider Choice
The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench this week to consider whether a federal law subjecting Palestinian government organizations to federal jurisdiction violates due process principles and if the Medicaid Act's provider choice provision allows individual benefit recipients to sue states over the disqualification of healthcare providers.
Expert Analysis
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Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.
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Speaking Of Ideas Hard To Swallow: SALT In Review
From a Pennsylvania bill that would force corporate tax disclosure to a proposed candy tax in California, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Neb. Justices Should Weigh IRC Terms In Dividend Tax Case
Nebraska’s highest court, which will hear oral arguments in Precision CastParts v. Department of Revenue on April 1, should recognize that the Internal Revenue Code provides key clues to defining “dividends received or deemed to be received,” and therefore limits Nebraska’s tax on foreign-sourced corporate income, says Joseph Schmidt at Ryan.
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Strange But True, Here And There: SALT In Review
From a confusing proposal to relocate the Louisiana Tax Commission to a perplexing legislative vote on a citizen initiative in Washington state, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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Gonna Fly Now From California: SALT In Review
From an actor's impending relocation to two more defeats of efforts to tax streaming services, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.