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New Mexico Court of Appeals Upholds Refund Claim Dismissal for Taxpayer’s Violation of Discovery Order

The New Mexico Court of Appeals decided a case illustrating the heavy risks of failing to comply with a court’s order.  Specifically, the Court of Appeals upheld the District Court’s full dismissal of a taxpayer’s refund claim for violating a discovery order.  In Bowman v. Manforte, the taxpayer sought a…

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Arizona Advances Legislation Requesting Federal Intervention for Sales Tax Simplification

There have been two interesting developments in Arizona as a result of Wayfair. First, the Arizona House of Representatives pushed forward a resolution, H.C.M. 2006, last week to formally ask Congress to enact uniform national legislation to simplify sales tax or similar tax collection by all states and to reduce…

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Washington B&O Tax Litigation Hits Financial Services Industry

A Washington state trial judge partially granted the state’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the validity of a recently enacted Washington tax measure that increases the state’s Business & Occupation Tax (B&O Tax) on large, out-of-state financial institutions. The Plaintiffs, the Washington Bankers Association and American Bankers Association (collectively,…

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Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Upholds Massachusetts Sales Tax on Screen-Sharing Software Products

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that sales tax applied to subscription fees for three online Citrix products, “GoToMyPC,” “GoToAssist” and “GoToMeeting,” which allow users to remotely access other users’ computers. Citrix Systems, Inc. v. Comm’r of Revenue, No. SJC-12741 (Mass. Feb. 5, 2020). In so holding, the Court affirmed…

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Illinois Taxpayers Score Rare TIA Win in Property Tax Dispute

On January 29, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held the Tax Injunction Act did not bar a federal lawsuit challenging property tax assessments on equal protection grounds because the taxpayers that brought the suit did not have a plain, speedy and efficient remedy in the…

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No Dealer Here: Walmart Walks Away with Big Marketplace Facilitator Win in Creole State

On January 29, 2020, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a 4-3 decision in Normand v. Wal-Mart.com USA, reversing in full two lower courts and holding Walmart.com was not required to collect local sales tax on third-party sales facilitated through its online marketplace. The majority concluded Walmart.com was not a “dealer”…

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Solicitor General Argument Likely Dooms Arizona Tax Case at High Court

(This article originally was published by Law360 on January 16, 2020.) The saga continues in Arizona v. California, Arizona’s U.S. Supreme Court challenge of California’s tax reach, but signs are strong it may be ending soon. Last year, Arizona filed a motion to the court seeking to file a complaint against California…

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Washington Denies “Human Effort” Exclusion to Online Research Service

The Washington Court of Appeals held that Gartner, Inc.’s online research service was a digital automated service subject to the state’s retail sales tax and retailing Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax. Gartner, Inc. v. Washington Department of Revenue, No. 51637-3-II (Wash. App. Div. 2 Jan. 13, 2020). This decision addressed…

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Navigating Local Labyrinths: Practitioners’ Guide to Local Taxes

In this article, Carley Roberts and co-authors discuss some of the more significant locally imposed taxes that could cause unexpected issues for businesses entering a new jurisdiction. They highlight Chicago Personal Property Lease Transaction Tax, San Francisco local taxes, New York City commercial rent tax, New Jersey local property tax,…