Diann Smith
Subscribe to Diann Smith's PostsDiann Smith focuses her practice on state and local taxation and unclaimed property advocacy. Diann advises clients at any stage of an issue, including planning, compliance, controversy, financial statement issues and legislative activity. Her goal is to find the most effective method to achieve a client's objective regardless of when or how an issue arises. Diann emphasizes the importance of defining a client's objective - whether it is finality of a frequently audited issue, quick resolution of a stand-alone tax liability, or avoiding competitive disadvantages in the application of a tax. The defined objective then governs the choice of the path to a solution. Read Diann Smith's full bio.
An Uneven Playing Field: Judicial Deference to State Tax Administrator Interpretations
By Diann Smith, Mark Nebergall and Stephen P. Kranz on May 14, 2019
Posted In Audits, Constitutional Issues, Income Tax, Local Tax, Nationwide Importance, Sales Tax
Judicial deference to state tax agencies puts taxpayers at a steep disadvantage and wastes time and resources on costly tax disputes. A united advocacy effort can help promote passage of state-level legislation that takes the tax administrator’s thumb off the scales of justice in administrative and judicial review of tax determinations. Access the full article....
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California Bill Would Remove Tax Bar to False Claims Act
By Diann Smith, Mark Nebergall and Stephen P. Kranz on May 1, 2019
Posted In California, False Claims Act, Nationwide Importance
California legislators have recently introduced a bill, AB 1270, that would amend the False Claims Act (Act) to strike the tax bar. As introduced, the bill would amend the existing false claims statute in the state of California to expressly authorize tax-related false claims actions against a person whose reported taxable income, net income, or...
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QHTC You Later: DC Bids Farewell to Historic QHTC Certification Process
By Diann Smith, Eric D. Carstens and Stephen P. Kranz on Feb 8, 2019
Posted In District of Columbia, Incentives, Local Tax, Procedure
The District of Columbia (DC) Office of Tax & Revenue (OTR) implemented sweeping changes to the Qualified High Technology Company (QHTC) certification process this year. As you may remember, beginning last year, OTR implemented a new online QHTC self-certification process for companies to obtain exempt purchase certificates. This year, OTR is expanding the scope of...
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Delaware Starts Unclaimed Property “Compliance Reviews” (Different from Audits)
By Diann Smith, Eric D. Carstens and Stephen P. Kranz on Jan 16, 2019
Posted In Delaware, Unclaimed Property
If the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property believes that a person may have filed an “inaccurate, incomplete, or false report,” the State Escheator may authorize a “compliance review” under Del. Code Ann. tit. 12, § 1170(b). This is not a standard audit and as a result, the target is not entitled to the option of...
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Court Strikes Down New York Opioid Surcharge on Manufacturers and Distributers
By McDermott Will & Emery, Diann Smith, Eric Hageman and Stephen P. Kranz on Jan 11, 2019
Posted In Constitutional Issues, Nationwide Importance, New York, Procedure
On December 19, 2018, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in favor of McDermott’s client, the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), the trade association for pharmaceutical distributors. In Healthcare Distribution Alliance v. Zucker, the court granted summary judgment and enjoined enforcement of the New York Opioid Stewardship Act, which imposed...
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Hearing Scheduled for DC False Claims Expansion – Taxpayers Beware!
By Diann Smith, Eric D. Carstens and Stephen P. Kranz on Dec 10, 2018
Posted In District of Columbia, False Claims Act, Nationwide Importance
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson recently announced that a public hearing will take place later this month before the Committee of the Whole to consider a bill (The False Claims Amendment Act of 2017, B22-0166) that would allow tax-related false claims against large taxpayers. The hearing will begin at 9:30 am on Thursday, December 20,...
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STAR Partnership and State Responses to GILTI
By Diann Smith and Stephen P. Kranz on Nov 27, 2018
Posted In Federal Tax, Nationwide Importance, Tax Base
While the state treatment of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) was on the mind of many taxpayers, most state legislatures that enacted legislation in 2018 focused on the state treatment of foreign earnings deemed repatriated under IRC § 965, leaving the state treatment of GILTI unclear in many states. That said, of the states that...
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2018 Recap: State Responses to the Repatriation Transition Tax in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
By Diann Smith and Stephen P. Kranz on Nov 26, 2018
Posted In Federal Tax, Income Tax, Nationwide Importance, Tax Base
Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed in December 2017, over 100 bills were proposed by state legislatures responding to the federal legislation. Thus far in 2018, nearly half of states have passed legislation responding to the TCJA. With some exceptions, in this year’s legislative cycles the state legislatures were primarily focused on...
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BREAKING NEWS: US Supreme Court Overrules Quill
By McDermott Will & Emery, Diann Smith, Eric D. Carstens and Stephen P. Kranz on Jun 21, 2018
Posted In Constitutional Issues, Nationwide Importance, Nexus, Sales Tax, South Dakota, Transaction Taxes
Moments ago, the US Supreme Court issued its highly-anticipated decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., et al., No. 17-494. The 5-4 opinion was authored by Justice Kennedy and concluded that the physical presence requirement established by the Court in its 1967 National Bellas Hess decision and reaffirmed in 1992 in Quill is “unsound and incorrect”...
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Overview of Minnesota’s Response to Federal Tax Reform
By Diann Smith, Eric D. Carstens and Stephen P. Kranz on Mar 29, 2018
Posted In Federal Tax, Income Tax, Local Tax, Minnesota, Nationwide Importance
Minnesota has several bills pending that would address the Minnesota state tax implications of various provisions of the federal tax reform legislation (commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act). HF 2942 HF 2942 was introduced in the House on February 22, 2018. This bill would provide conformity to the Internal Revenue Code...
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