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Nationwide Importance

Gross Receipts Taxes Face Policy and Legal Challenges

by Diann Smith and Stephen P. Kranz | Sep 24, 2019 | Constitutional Issues, Gross Receipts Tax, Local Tax, Nationwide Importance

“Generally, the only places with gross receipts taxes today are U.S. states and developing countries.” –Professor Richard Pomp, University of Connecticut

As the economy shifts to a digital one, we are finding that states are turning toward unconventional revenue options. One trend we’re seeing is the surprising comeback of the gross receipts tax (GRT):

Oregon’s new Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) takes effect January 1, 2020. Oregon officials are currently writing rules to implement it. Portland, Oregon also adopted a 1% gross receipts tax, imposed only on big businesses, starting January 1, 2019.
San Francisco voters imposed an additional gross receipts tax on businesses with receipts of more than $50 million beginning January 1, 2019. This is on top of the gross receipts tax that was phased in from 2014 to 2018 to replace the city’s payroll tax.
Nevada’s Commerce Tax took effect July 1, 2015, imposing differing tax rates on 26 categories of business with over $4 million in receipts. Part of the revenue was to reduce the state’s MBT payroll tax, but legislators suspended those reductions this year; it’s now in court.
Serious proposals to adopt a statewide gross receipts tax keep coming, with the last three years including Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming. A San Jose, California gross receipts tax proposal was approved to gather petition signatures in 2016 but eventually morphed into a business license tax overhaul.

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Vultures Circling as Bill to Expand California FCA to Tax Looms in Legislature

by Charles Moll, III, Diann Smith, Stephen P. Kranz and Troy M. Van Dongen | Aug 26, 2019 | California, False Claims Act, Interest and Penalties, Nationwide Importance, Procedure

Legislators in Sacramento are mulling over one of the most (if not the most) troubling state and local tax bills of the past decade. AB 1270, introduced earlier this year and passed by the Assembly in late May, would amend the California False Claims Act (CFCA) to remove the “tax bar,” a prohibition that exists in the federal False Claims Act and the vast majority of states with similar laws.

If enacted, this bill will open the door for a cottage industry of financially driven plaintiffs’ lawyers to act as bounty hunters in the state and local tax arena. California taxpayers would be forced to defend themselves in high-stakes civil investigations and/or litigation—even when the Attorney General’s Office (AG) declines to intervene. As seen in other states, this racket leads to abusive practices and undermines the goal of voluntary compliance in tax administration. (more…)

An Uneven Playing Field: Judicial Deference to State Tax Administrator Interpretations

by Diann Smith, Mark Nebergall and Stephen P. Kranz | May 14, 2019 | 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.

Learn more here about the Deference Coalition and how McDermott can help.

California Bill Would Remove Tax Bar to False Claims Act

by Diann Smith, Mark Nebergall and Stephen P. Kranz | May 1, 2019 | 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 sales totaled $500,000 or more in to which the claim pertained, and the damages pleaded in the action total $200,000 or more. Also, “[t]he bill would authorize the Attorney General or the prosecuting authority, but not the qui tam plaintiff, to obtain otherwise confidential records relating to taxes, fees, or other obligations under the Revenue and Taxation Code. The bill would prohibit the disclosure of federal tax information to the Attorney General or the prosecuting authority without authorization from the Internal Revenue Service.”

Under current California law, those making false or fraudulent claims to state or local governments can be liable to the state or locality for treble damages, including consequential damages, attorneys’ fees and a civil penalty of between $5,500 and $11,000 for each violation. The False Claims Act does not apply to claims made under the Revenue and Taxation Code.

In addition to repealing the exception for false claims made under the Revenue and Taxation code, the bill would expand the definition of “prosecuting authority” to include “counsel retained by a political subdivision to act on its behalf.” This opens a wide door to the use of contingent fee “bounty hunters” by localities for the prosecution of false tax claims. The bill makes no provision for review of the allegedly false tax claims by any of the governmental agencies charged with interpretation of the Revenue and Tax Code, such as the Franchise Tax Board or the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

As we have seen in jurisdictions like New York and Illinois, opening the door to tax-related false claims can lead to significant headaches for taxpayers and usurp the authority of the state tax agency by involving profit-motivated private parties and the state Attorney General in tax enforcement decisions. Allowing private parties to intervene in the administration, interpretation or enforcement of the tax law commandeers the authority of the tax agency, compounded by the use by local governments of contingent-fee outside attorneys, creates uncertainty and can result in inequitable tax treatment. While many other problems exist with application of false claims to tax matters, those issues are beyond the scope of this blog.

A Big Thank You to Our Readers

by McDermott Will & Emery | Jan 22, 2019 | Nationwide Importance, Uncategorized

We greatly appreciate our readers over the past year and are pleased to share that we were recently recognized by Law360 as the Tax Group of the Year.

In 2018, McDermott’s tax practice made headlines with its various high-profile state and local, US federal and international matters. Through our blogs, thought leadership pieces and tax-focused events, we are dedicated to maintaining our position as a leading firm for tax work and keeping clients abreast of significant and relevant topics in the industry.

Court Strikes Down New York Opioid Surcharge on Manufacturers and Distributers

by McDermott Will & Emery, Diann Smith, Eric Hageman and Stephen P. Kranz | Jan 11, 2019 | 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 a $600 million surcharge on manufacturers and distributors of opioid pharmaceutical products. The first $100 million installment was due on January 1, 2019. (more…)

Happy Holidays from McDermott’s SALT Practice

by McDermott Will & Emery | Dec 20, 2018 | Nationwide Importance, Uncategorized

In our holiday tradition, as a thank you to all of our Inside SALT readers and subscribers, we are pleased to present our annual Inside SALT Crossword Puzzle Contest. We hope you’ll enjoy this little diversion that tests your knowledge of key state and local tax developments this year. To enter, please download and print the puzzle by clicking on the image below. After you complete the puzzle, please send it as a PDF file to skranz@mwe.com no later than January 4, 2019, at 11:59 pm EST. The first eligible entrant to submit a complete and correct puzzle wins a $200 Amazon gift card. The contest is open to registered Inside SALT email subscribers from the United States and District of Columbia who are age of majority or older. (To become a subscriber, please enter your email address in the box on the right side of your screen.)

Contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on January 4, 2019. Participation is subject to the Official Rules. For complete details, view the Official Rules. This contest is void outside the US and DC and where prohibited, restricted or taxed. Please also share your feedback about what topics you would like to hear more about in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you and to bringing you timely SALT updates and analysis in the coming year!

Inside SALT Crossword Puzzle

Hearing Scheduled for DC False Claims Expansion – Taxpayers Beware!

by Diann Smith, Eric D. Carstens and Stephen P. Kranz | Dec 10, 2018 | 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, 2018, in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building. More details on the hearing and opportunity to testify are available here. The bill is sponsored by Councilmember Mary Cheh, and co-sponsors of the bill include Committee on Finance and Revenue Chairman Jack Evans and Councilmember Anita Bonds. Nearly identical bills were introduced by Councilmember Cheh in 2013 and 2016, but did not advance.

As introduced, the bill would amend the existing false claims statute in the District of Columbia to expressly authorize tax-related false claims actions against a person that “reported net income, sales, or revenue totaling $1 million or more in the tax filing to which the claim pertained, and the damages pleaded in the action total $350,000 or more.”

Practice Note:

Because the current false claims statute includes an express tax bar, this bill would represent a major policy departure in the District. See D.C. Code § 2-381.02(d) (stating that “[t]his section shall not apply to claims, records, or statements made pursuant to those portions of Title 47 that refer or relate to taxation”). As we have seen in jurisdictions like New York and Illinois, opening the door to tax-related false claims can lead to significant headaches for taxpayers and usurp the authority of the state tax agency by involving profit motivated private parties and the state Attorney General in tax enforcement decisions.

Because the statute of limitations for false claims is 10 years after the date on which the violation occurs, the typical tax statute of limitations for audit and enforcement may not protect taxpayers from false claims actions. See D.C. Code § 2-381.05(a). Treble damages would also be permitted against taxpayers for violations, meaning District taxpayers would be liable for three times the amount of any damages sustained by the District. See D.C. Code § 2-381.02(a). A private party who files a successful claim may receive between 15–25 percent of any recovery to the District if the District’s AG intervenes in the matter. If the private party successfully prosecutes the case on their own, they may receive between 25–30 percent of the amount recovered. This financial incentive encourages profit motivated bounty hunters to develop theories of liability not established or approved by the agency responsible for tax administration. Allowing private parties to intervene in the administration, interpretation or enforcement of the tax law commandeers the authority of the tax agency, creates uncertainty and can result in inequitable tax treatment. While many other problems exist with application of false claims to tax matters, those issues are beyond the scope of this blog.

STAR Partnership and State Responses to GILTI

by Diann Smith and Stephen P. Kranz | Nov 27, 2018 | 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 enacted legislation addressing GILTI, very few have decided to tax a material portion of GILTI.

In states that did not address global intangible low-taxed income through legislation, a lack of clarity in the state laws created an opportunity for the STAR Partnership to seek favorable administrative guidance on the treatment of GILTI. The STAR Partnership pursued that opportunity in a number of states, as discussed in more detail below. (more…)

2018 Recap: State Responses to the Repatriation Transition Tax in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

by Diann Smith and Stephen P. Kranz | Nov 26, 2018 | 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 the treatment of foreign earnings deemed repatriated and included in federal income under IRC § 965 (965 Income).

The STAR Partnership has been very involved in helping the business community navigate the state legislative, executive and regulatory reaction to federal tax reform, and IRC § 965 in particular. The STAR Partnership’s message to states has been clear: decouple from IRC § 965 or provide a 100 percent deduction for 965 income. The STAR Partnership emphasized that excluding 965 Income from the state tax base is consistent with historic state tax policy of not taxing worldwide income and avoids significant apportionment complexity and constitutional issues. (more…)

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