Articles Posted in California

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(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 under the court’s original and exclusive jurisdiction over controversies between states.1 Arizona contends California assesses and enforces its doing business tax (i.e., an $800 annual and minimum tax imposed on businesses doing business in the state) so expansively that it unconstitutionally “reaches out-of-state companies that do not conduct any actual business in California, and indeed have no connection to the state except for purely passive investment in California companies.”2

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CPA and former Big 4 associate, Afshin Khazaeli joins Pillsbury SALT!

Afshin advises clients on a variety of state and local tax matters, including controversy, planning, and audit defense, across all state and local tax types, including sales and use, income, franchise, and property tax. Pillsbury SALT is thrilled to welcome him to our award-winning team. Afshin is based in Pillsbury’s Sacramento office.

5 Questions with Afshin

  1. Who inspires you?
    I’m inspired by my father and his relentlessness.
  2. What drew you to the law?
    I love being a trusted advocate for my clients.
  3. What aspect of State and Local Tax law do you find most interesting?
    State and local tax is constantly changing, evolving and adapting.
  4. What has been your most challenging or rewarding case?
    Each case has been uniquely challenging, and the most rewarding cases are when I help my clients achieve unexpectedly great results.
  5. What is your go-to comfort food?
    Persian food! Reminds me of my mother’s cooking and being back at home.

Welcome to Pillsbury SALT, Afshin!

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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, Jersey City payroll tax, New Jersey income tax credits, and Tennessee business tax.

To read the article, please click here.

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TEI-Silicon-ValleyPillsbury SALT was proud to present TEI/IPT Silicon Valley’s State and Local Tax Day & IPT Joint Meeting on December 5! The team presented a 3/4-day seminar that focused on topics related to the State and Local Tax implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Wayfair, and other hot topics in state and local taxation.

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best-law-firms-badge-2020-300x300Pillsbury has earned a total of 154 national and regional practice rankings in the latest U.S. News – Best Lawyers 2020 Best Law Firms survey.

The Tax team’s rankings include:

To view Pillsbury’s complete list of practice rankings, click here.

The U.S. News – Best Lawyers Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in the field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a 2020 ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer recognized in the 25th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America list for that particular location and specialty.

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Pillsbury SALT attorneys Carley Roberts, Robert P. Merten III and Mike Le co-authored “Sunny State Shade: Arizona’s Objection to California’s Tax Reach” in a recent edition of SeeSALT Digest, by Tax Notes State. In this article, Carley, Robert and Mike evaluate and provide an update on Arizona’s judicial objection to the reach of California’s tax imposition on out-of-state companies whose only connection to California is a passive investment interest.

To read the article, please click here.

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The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration held an Interested Parties Meeting to address proposed regulation 1684.5 on marketplace sales. The proposed regulation defines terms used in the Marketplace Facilitator Act (added by AB 147), explains the registration requirements for marketplace facilitators and marketplace sellers, clarifies when a marketplace facilitator is the seller and retailer, and provides election procedures for a delivery network company to be deemed a marketplace facilitator. After the comment period closes on October 30, the Department will decide whether to proceed with formal rulemaking as authorized by the Marketplace Facilitator Act. The Department also has the authority to adopt emergency regulations through June 2020, which, if adopted, will remain in effect for two years.

The Department’s discussion paper can be found here.

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Ab8oGgo5_400x400-300x300There were two competing bills regarding tax sharing agreements (TSAs) this legislative session: SB 531 and SB 485. The former would have barred all TSAs at the local level as of January 1, 2020. The latter would not bar TSAs but instead would require the locality to report certain information pertaining to the agreement that would be made publicly available. On October 12, 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill that would have barred TSAs altogether and instead signed the other bill that requires publicly reporting certain information pertaining to the TSAs.

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FTB-logo-300x300Yesterday, the California Franchise Tax Board convened a public meeting to discuss tax compliance within the growing gig economy and the challenges of meeting these obligations. Speakers from academia, the FTB, the business community, and gig workers themselves, discussed various tax issues, three of which stood out.

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On Sept. 30-Oct. 2, members of Pillsbury SALT will lead discussions at COST’s property tax workshop in Las Vegas. This event aims to bring multistate property tax professionals together and discuss timely legislative and litigation updates, trends and opportunities to make sure your business’s property is not over taxed.

Topics will include:

  • “Central or Local Assessment? Why It Matters and How to Take Advantage of Either Process,” (Breann Robowski)
  • “California – A Property Tax Nation unto Itself” (Craig Becker)
  • “Best Practices for Getting Fair High-Tech Property Valuations.” (Breann Robowski)
  • “Ask the Experts – Practitioners Addressing Issues for Free” (Craig Becker)

For more information and to register, please visit the event page.