State & Local
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September 25, 2025
DC Court Upholds Transfer Tax On Long-Term Leaseback
The $39 million sale of a Washington, D.C., property and a long-term deal to lease it back to the seller constituted two separate taxable transactions, an appeals court said Thursday, rejecting a claim for a $1 million refund.
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September 25, 2025
Virginia Offers Tax Rebates For Timely 2024 Filing
Virginia residents who file their state tax returns by Nov. 3 may be eligible for rebates, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office said.
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September 25, 2025
Pa. Justices Affirm Pittsburgh's 'Jock Tax' Is Unconstitutional
Pittsburgh's 3% fee imposed on the income of nonresident professional athletes is unconstitutional and violates the state's uniformity clause, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed Thursday.
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September 25, 2025
Disney, IHOP Parent Lose Bid To Revisit Mich. Escheat Ruling
The Michigan Court of Appeals denied a request from Disney and the parent company of IHOP to reconsider its ruling that said unclaimed property audit determinations create new legal obligations for holders that trigger a separate statute of limitations period to remit property.
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September 25, 2025
Michigan Senate Bill Seeks Tax On Vape Products
Michigan would subject vaping and other nicotine products to the same 32% tax rate imposed on nicotine products under a bill filed in the Senate.
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September 25, 2025
Calif. Bay Area Transit Tax Proposal Passes Legislature
California would establish a transportation district comprised of San Francisco and four other counties and authorize it to impose a retail transactions and use tax to fund transit operations, subject to voter approval, under a bill sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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September 25, 2025
Ore. Tax Court Upholds IRS Offset To State Tax Refund
The Oregon Tax Court rejected a couple's effort to obtain a state income tax refund that was offset by a federal tax liability, saying the taxpayers identified no legal authority to support their demand.
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September 24, 2025
Tax Court Finds Convicted Ex-Pa. Senator Liable For Tax
A former Pennsylvania state senator convicted of fraud is on the hook for income tax deficiencies for 2001 through 2005, plus a civil fraud penalty for each year, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.
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September 24, 2025
Minn. Justices Reject Humana's Pharmacy Sourcing Appeal
The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected arguments by a Humana subsidiary that its sales of pharmacy benefit services attributed to Minnesota should instead be sourced to a Humana unit in Wisconsin, denying the company a $834,000 refund Wednesday.
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September 24, 2025
Ill. Justices Won't Hear Pepsi's $2.1M Tax Penalty Case
An Illinois appeals court decision allowing $2.1 million in penalties against PepsiCo for categorizing Frito-Lay expatriates' compensation as foreign payroll will stand, as the state's highest court declined to review the dispute Wednesday.
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September 24, 2025
Calif. Panel Upholds County's Higher Tax Rates On Utilities
A California county's levying of property tax rates on utilities that are higher than rates on other types of properties doesn't violate the state constitution's tax rules, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, rejecting a $12 million refund claim from Pacific Bell and six other public utilities.
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September 24, 2025
Pa. Estate Denied Inheritance Tax Refund For Legal Costs
An estate had its request for a $29 million refund of inheritance tax partially denied by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, which ruled that legal expenses it claimed for a deduction did not directly benefit the estate.
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September 24, 2025
Former Pa. Tax Collector Admits To Embezzling Public Funds
A former Pennsylvania tax collector pled guilty to embezzling public money totaling more than $400,000 in property taxes and federal grants intended for her local government, federal prosecutors announced.Â
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September 24, 2025
Ala. AT&T Affiliate's Cables Face General Sales Tax Rate
An Alabama telecommunication company's purchase of fiber-optic cables triggers the general sales tax rate, not the machine tax rate, the state tax tribunal ruled.Â
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September 24, 2025
Ohio House Bill Seeks Approval Rule For Some Property Tax
Ohio would require some political subdivisions to obtain approval from their member governing bodies before imposing property tax above a statutory limit under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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September 23, 2025
Trump Tariffs Are Constitutional, President's Allies Tell Justices
Two Republican lawmakers and two allied nonprofit groups told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that it should allow President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
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September 23, 2025
Calif. Tax Code Conformity Update Heads To Gov.
California would conform the state's tax law with numerous Internal Revenue Code provisions enacted over the last decade under a bill sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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September 23, 2025
Atty-Trustee Conflicts Doom Scaife Estate's $26M Tax Refund
A Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky attorney was also acting as Mellon heir Richard Scaife's lawyer, trustee and media executive when he signed releases that kept Scaife's spending of his inheritance secret from his children, so a resulting $200 million settlement between the children and Scaife's estate was not a bona fide tax-exempt expense, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Tuesday.
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September 23, 2025
Airbnb Fights $10.5M Colorado Tax Bill On Guest Fees
The guest fee charged by Airbnb on rentals in Colorado is not subject to state and local sales taxes, the company told a state court, seeking to overturn a $10.5 million assessment by the state Department of Revenue.
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September 23, 2025
Star Chef Didn't Violate 'Vague' Pact With Boston, Judge Says
A Massachusetts state court has ruled that a "vague" agreement between celebrity chef Barbara Lynch and the city of Boston to escrow proceeds from the sale of her flagship No. 9 Park restaurant while the city seeks to collect her unpaid taxes doesn't prevent Lynch from using the funds to pay other creditors.
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September 23, 2025
La. Tax Owed On Payout From IRA Tied To State Account
A Louisiana couple must pay tax on a distribution from an individual retirement account despite that account's initial money coming from the husband's state employee retirement fund, the state's Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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September 23, 2025
Calif. Conformity On Energy Tax Credit Sent To Newsom
California would conform to certain Internal Revenue Code provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act governing renewable energy tax credits under a bill sent to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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September 23, 2025
Ariz. Revenues Through August Up $158M From Forecast
Arizona's general fund revenue in July and August outpaced forecasts by roughly $158 million, the state Joint Legislative Budget Committee reported.
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September 22, 2025
The Tax Angle: Green Energy Permits, Enhanced ACA Credits
From a look at permitting delays holding up solar and wind tax credit projects to uncertainty surrounding the renewal of Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.
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September 22, 2025
Newsom Approves Bill Reversing Calif. Cannabis Tax Hike
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a bill that reverses a tax increase on regulated cannabis businesses, in an effort to give the state's beleaguered marijuana industry some financial relief.
Expert Analysis
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The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit
The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.
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Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles
Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.
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When Even A Judge Feels Defeated: SALT In Review
From a split decision in a New York state court to a Louisiana plan to funnel tax dollars to student-athletes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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$38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils
A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.
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Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act
Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption
If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.
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An Illegitimate Avenue Of Repeal: SALT In Review
From a court upholding New York state's interpretation of a federal law to Arkansas' new tax break for college athletes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook
The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw
While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.
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Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them
Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.
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How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients
Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims
Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law
Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.