is the law changing or simply the interpretation of the law?

Interpretation of the law determines whether there is any retroactive changes to the law being made.

If retroactively changing the law, it may be unconstitutional.

If the interpretation is simply incorrect, then no change in the law is being suggested, the interpretation is only being corrected (changed).

However, then the interpretation could be considered to being changed retroactively.

Does it matter if the law is changed or the interpretation is changed?

The answer likely depends on who is making the change.

The issues:

• What is the law?

• What is the correct interpretation of the law?

• What is the basis of that interpretation?

• Will the courts agree?

State tax laws are challenged because either the state has made an assessment and believes additional tax is due based on the state's interpretation of the law.

But what if the law is vague or ambiguous, open to interpretation?

What if the company has a different interpretation of the law?

Who wins?

Deference. What is it?

Judicial deference is the idea that under some circumstances, a court should defer to a state agency's interpretation of a statute or regulation rather than the court imposing its own interpretation.

Recently the U.S. Supreme court ruled in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo which overturned the Chevron doctrine. The Chevron doctrine gave deference to the state agency's interpretation.

From a state perspective, several states did not follow the Chevron doctrine. Some states even have anti-deference statutes.

Georgia codified antideference in 2021 specifically for tax matters providing that all quesitons of law to be decided by a court or the Georgia Tax Tribunal are to be made "without any deference to any determination or interpretation, writen or unwritten, that may have been made on the matter."

Tennessee amended its statutes effective April 2022 providing that when interpreting a state statute or rule, a court should not give deference to a state agency's interpretation and should interpret the statute "de novo."

CONCLUSION

Interpretation matters.

Public knowledge of the state's interpretation is necessary if we are to have any level of certainty and compliance.

Public knowledge of the state's interpretation allows companies to make determinations as to whether they agree with that interpretation and either accept it or challenge it.

Retroactively changing the law or the interpretation of the law can have adverse effects on not only the taxpayer involved, but the taxpayer community at large.

Ambiguity in a law creates confusion, different interpretations, risk, opportunity and ultimately, most likely, litigation.

Stay sharp. Be safe.

Don't let state taxes play the villain in your business story

Our lives are like a book. A story. A journey. Each day is a new page, a new paragraph, a new sentence, a new word. There are chapters to our lives. There is a preface, a foreword, an introduction. There are many plot lines, unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes we are the hero, sometimes we are the villian. Sometimes we know exactly what to write and other times, we just stare at the blank page. Too many options, not enough options. Do we rewrite the story? Do we turn the page? Is it time to start a new chapter or do we keep going down the same road. When good times happen, we want it to last forever. When bad things happen, we can't wait to turn the page or move into the next chapter. Sometimes we cause change and sometimes change is forced upon us. We grow, we age, we hopefully learn. We adapt, we improvise and hopefully overcome. We learn what we like, what we don't like. Our personal and professional lives intertwined. Working to focus, to achieve, to realize goals and dreams while balancing time with families and friends. Obsession leads to great things, when obsession is focused on the right things without sacrificing the most important things (which aren't things).

I'm not quite sure why I started with that intro, but hopefully it means something to you.

As business owners, business and/or tax professionals, our work takes up a lot of our time, our lives. Thus, business is personal and should be taken seriously. It is how we support ourselves and our families. It is a big part of our story. They often say that what you do is not who you are. That what you do doesn't define you. I don't think that's necessarily true. It is often difficult to separate what you do from who you are. We all take on the identity of what we do or atleast for some part of the day. Or maybe we take on an alter ego. Regardless, we have our bios that tell people some of who we are, but not the whole picture.

Right about now, you are probably asking, "how does any of this relate to state taxes?" Well, as I have done in many of my blog posts over the last decade, I will attempt to bring this back to state taxes.

Companies have a story. They have a lifecycle. They start out with an idea, a vision, a dream, a goal. Then they get capital and make investments. They pick a location, buy or build a facility, hire people, start selling, start shipping, in one state, in multiple states. Then they grow - hire more, build more, sell more. Maybe they create new legal entities, new ownership structures. Maybe they start selling different products and services. Maybe they build new facilities and hire more employees in multiple states. Maybe the entities sell to each other. Maybe the entities start selling to customers in foreign countries. Maybe they create foreign entities that sell into the U.S. Maybe they acquire another entity or they are acquired by another entity. Maybe the owners simply sell their ownership interest and move on to begin another venture.

All of the above changes, stages, activities create different state and local tax issues, risks and opportunities. Some companies plan ahead before making a decision or taking action, but often the action happens before the state tax impact is taken into consideration. This results in potential tax exposure or liabilities that arise and can grow if they are not discovered or investigated. Sometimes planning ahead could have eliminated any exposure and perhaps even created tax savings or refund opportunites. Some state tax issues related to the above are:

• knowing when to file returns in a state (i.e., having a taxable presence or nexus)

• knowing when to collect sales tax on the company's sales (sales taxability study)

• identifying tax credits and incentives related to building/investing in a specific state, county or city

• identifying any sales tax exemptions related to the company's purchases

• knowing how each type of legal entity is taxed from a state income tax perspective

• knowing the state tax impact of integrating new companies, merging companies or selling interests in a partnership or S corporation

Each stage of a company's business tells a story. Is filled with various facts, plots and challenges. State taxes play a key role and impact every chapter, every page, and perhaps every sentence. State taxes can be the hero or the villain.

Being proactive is always better than being reactive or playing the "wait and see game."

navigating the state tax "mind-field" without "burning your popcorn"

If you work in my profession, you are likely aware of The Tax Foundation, the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC), the Council on State Taxation (COST) and the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board. However, were you aware of some of the resources they have?

History of Sales Tax

For example, I found this lovely webpage from the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) which talks about the history of sales tax. https://www.mtc.gov/uniformity/sales-tax-on-digital-products/history/

• According to the MTC, "this page is intended as background to aid in the review of the issues that arise when we consider a sales tax on digital goods. We begin by clarifying some of the terminology we use on this project, then move on to a brief history of the sales tax and some similarities and differences in how states treat the tax. You can use the links below to jump to a specific section."

I recommend you take a peek if you are looking for a quick and concise summary of the history of sales tax and basic terminology and some uniform rules shared by the states.

History of Indivual Income Taxes

The following link from the Tax Foundation provides a brief history of state individual income taxes. https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/when-did-your-state-adopt-its-income-tax/

The following link from the Tax Foundation provides additional insight into the history of state individual income taxes and the trend towards a flat tax rate structure. https://taxfoundation.org/blog/flat-tax-state-income-tax-reform/

Key State Tax Issues

The Council on State Taxation (COST) has several state tax resources. One of their webpages (https://www.cost.org/state-tax-resources/cost-policy-positions/) provides COST's policy positions regarding several key issues and areas of state taxation such as:

• alternative apportionment

• confidentiality of taxpayer informatoin

• digital service taxes

• financial reporting consequence of significant tax law changes

• Gross Receipts Taxes

• Independent Tax Appeals Tribunals

• Mandatory Unitary Combined Reporting

• Markeplace Facilitators Collection of Sales, Use or Similar Taxes

• Property tax administration systems - fair and equitable

• related company expense disallowance

• Remedies for unconstitutional or otherwise judicially invalidated taxes

• Reporting requirements for federal tax changes

• retroactive tax legislation

• sales taxation of business inputs

• simplification of the sales, use or simliar transaction tax system

• state corporate income tax filing methods

• throwback and throwout rules

• unclaimed property

Another COST webpage (https://www.cost.org/state-tax-resources/cost-studies-articles-and-reports/) provides links to COST studies, articles and reports on topics such as:

• e-invoicing for sales tax

• digital-business input exemptions

• mandatory worldwide combined reporting: elegant in theory but harmful in implementation

• COST scorecard: the best and worst of state tax administration

• state digital services taxes: a bad idea under any theory

• resisting the siren song of gross receipts taxes: from the middle ages to Maryland's tax on digital advertising

Remote Sellers and Marketplace Facilitators

The Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board website has great sales tax information for sellers in general, but also specifically for remote sellers and marketplace facilitators.

• Remote sellers - https://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/for-businesses/remote-seller-faqs

• Marketplace facilitators - https://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/for-businesses/marketplace-facilitator

• Marketplace sellers - https://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/for-businesses/marketplace-sellers

State Tax Climate, Trends and Maps

The Tax Foundation has a great page entitled, "Center for State Tax Policy" (https://taxfoundation.org/research/state-tax/) which has several articles and tools such as:

• 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index

• State Tax trends

• State Tax maps

• State Reform guides

• State and Local Tax collections

• Excise Taxes

• Taxes and Inflation

• Cost Recovery

Be Aware

Regardless of whether you use any of these resources, you should be aware of these organizations that seek to provide support for taxpayers and/or influence state tax policy to create more uniformity and/or fairness among the states.

The "Mind-Field"

State taxation is ever changing and is influenced by many forces. Middle market companies struggle to stay on top of these changes and can't afford to litigate every matter or issue (that perhaps, should be challenged or raised by law firms as issues that should be challenged). Consequently, middle market companies are in constant need of clarity to reduce uncertainty, to mitigate risk of exposure and obtain practical solutions to navigate this "mind-field."

"Don't Burn your Popcorn"

As I've mentioned in other editions of this newsletter, the more I see artificial intelligence (AI) being used, the more I am convinced that the best "tool" or guide a company can have is human, real intelligence. The "easy button" or "microwave" may not be the most reliable tool.

Popcorn still gets burned in the microwave due to user error or incorrect correlations between the popping instructions and specs of the microwave. Don't burn your "popcorn."

Stay smart. Do the work. Don't settle.

don't let uncertain state tax positions surprise your company or client

Uncertain state tax positions are everywhere. Your company or your clients likely have them. Have you identified them? Have you addressed them?

During ‘busy season’ or ‘tax season, state tax questions often arise or lay there quietly in the background while federal tax issues get all of the attention.

State tax issues or the state tax impact of an issue or transaction is generally considered after the federal tax impact is addressed.

Non-state tax experts are sometimes just too busy to give state tax issues adequate time before a deadline. In other situations, non-state tax experts may simply view a state tax issue as less complicated than it really is. Consequently, state tax issues may not get addressed before the original due date of the returns and may only get addressed in late summer or early fall prior to the extended due date. This often creates a time crunch for uncertain state tax positions to get adequately addressed. That's one of the problems.

The other problem is that most state tax issues are more complex than they appear. A high-level overview or two hours of research won't cut it, especially when you are trying to determine the state tax impact of a large transaction or adequately source the gain on a sale of a partnership interest to the right state or states.

What are these 'uncertain state tax positions'?

Where can they appear?

The following is a summary of some of the areas or items that create uncertain state tax positions on state income tax returns:

1. Structure - intangible holding companies; REIT / RIC; buy / sell companies, management / services companies; state-specific structures; captive insurance companies; finance companies; factoring companies; check-the-box entities; pass-through entities;

2. Transactions - mergers, acquisitions, divestitures; repatriation dividends; reorganizations; bankruptcy issues;

3. Nexus - P.L. 86-272; economic nexus; attribution of activities; forced combination; foreign company nexus despite no permanent establishment in U.S.;

4. Filing Options - separate, nexus combined, hybrid nexus combined, unitary combined (waters-edge, worldwide); consolidated;

5. Apportionment - ability to apportion income; choice of formula; throwback / throwout; joyce vs. finnegan; sales factor sourcing (destination, market-based sourcing, cost of performance, commercial domicile, location of payor);

6. Tax Base - business v.s nonbusiness income vs. separate accounting; Internal Revenue Code (IRC) conformity; related party addbacks; depreciation adjustments; dividends received deduction conformity; transfer pricing; foreign source income; state specific additions/subtractions;

7. Treatment of Partnerships - entity vs. aggregate theory; unitary (tax base / factor flow-up) vs non-unitary (allocation); sale of partnership interest;

8. Tax Attributes - NOLs (pre-apportioned vs. post-apportioned); IRC Sec. 382 limitations; survivor / non-survivor limitations; credits (claw-backs; compliance with agreements);

How do you ensure these items are addressed adequately?

• Get a state tax expert involved early.

How do you know when your client has any of these issues?

• Create a checklist that helps you identify clients or when your company may have these issues. That checklist may be based on the amount of sales a company has, the amount of taxable income, the number of states they file returns in (or the number of states they should file in), or if they have a specific structure or entered into a transaction that obviously needs reviewed.

There are multiple checklists you could create, the key is to make one that works for your company or firm that doesn't slow down the compliance process, but does allow you to reduce risk and adequately document a supportable, defendable or winnable position.

I hope you have a great tax season (now and in the fall). I hope all of your uncertain state tax positions achieve as much certainty as they can and are adequately addressed and documented.

who or what is 'rocking the boat'?

Usually 'rocking the boat' is perceived to be a bad thing, but 'rocking the boat' can be a good thing. Let me explain.

If you are riding in a boat heading into a storm and the boat starts rocking, that is usually a bad thing or scary. The boat is rocking to due to some external force or environmental change.

If someone on your boat gets up and starts jumping around without any explanation and you can't stop them or talk with them, that is usually a bad thing.

But if the the captain of the boat purposely turns the boat, changes direction and heads into the storm, then the rockiness of the boat is a good thing. It means the boat is going in the right direction. A strategic, purposeful direction. The rockiness is part of the process of reaching the chosen destination.

If someone on the boat gets up and voices a concern with the current direction of the boat, and makes a valid point why the boat should change course, the rockiness of the boat is a good thing. A necessary thing.

I'm sure we could keep going with this analogy or you could make up better analogies, but you get the point. Change, upheaval, incurring resistance or turbulance is sometimes a necessary or required part of the process of achievement or improvement.

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO STATE TAXES?

2024 just began. January already gone. State governments have started or will be starting their legislative sessions. Proposals are flying all around. This is in addition to the state tax law changes that were enacted last year that became effective in 2023 or as of January 1, 2024. On top of the state legislative proposals, we also have federal legislation that is moving through the House and Senate that will have ripple effects on the states regarding research and development expenses and other items (appears to have a high probability of passing). The SALT CAP (i.e., state tax deduction limit of $10,000) is proposed to double to $20,000 (based on commentary, this legislation has a low probability of passing). As with all federal tax legislation, some states automatically conform, and some states don't conform until they specifically say they do.

All of these changes can 'rock the boat' of your business.

These are external changes that you don't have control over. You may be able to influence them (or some people may be able to), but for most companies, their 'boats' get rocked and they have to learn how to change course to find calmer waters.

Some state tax issues or items that are currently being challenged or expected to become bigger issues in 2024 that could 'rock your boat':

1. More states to adopt state income tax exconomic nexus thresholds

2. The protections of P.L. 86-272 continue to be challenged and worked around.

3. Gross receipts taxes (Ohio, Washington, Tennessee, Oregon, Nevada) continue to change their rules.

4. Sourcing sales of services or intangibles for income tax apportionment purposes continues to be more confusing with market-based sourcing - do you source to your customer or your customer's customer?

5. How do you source the gain on the sale of your partnership interest?

6. Should my company really make pass-through entity tax (PTET) elections in all states where we can?

7. Do I really owe the California LLC fee or minimum tax based on my ownership in a California LLC?

8. Am I required to file a state income tax combined return?

9. Should I make state income tax elective consolidated return elections?

10. Will the Washington capital gains tax survive challenges and should I pay it?

11. Does everyone have economic nexus for income tax purposes if the state has no 'factor presence' threshold?

12. Can a telecommuting employee that does 'back office' functions create nexus but a telecommuting employee that solicits sales be protected by P.L 86-272?

13. Is SaaS considered tangible personal property or a service for state income tax apportionment purposes?

14. Does P.L. 86-272 apply to sales of SaaS?

15. How can a company realistically source sales of SaaS when the users are in multiple states and the buyer doesn't provide the data?

16. Are state 'throwback' rules constitutional?

17. Should market-based sourcing really create economic nexus?

I could keep going, but I will stop.

CONCLUSION

External forces will always 'rock a company's boat.' However, even if the boat isn't currently rocking, a taxpayer or a tax consultant may need to stand up in the boat to advise or ask the captain of the boat to change directions. The goal is to adapt to the wind or to change the direction of the boat so the company can move towards calmer waters or avoid the storm altogether.

Unfortunately, the constant change in federal and state tax legislation and court cases and rulings, makes it difficult for the waters to stay calm very long.

The best strategy for a company to thrive in this type of environment is to monitor changes, make informed decisions and most of all - be proactive. Don't wait until your in the middle of the storm.

You can always navigate out of the storm, but the damage to the boat will differ based on how quickly you change course.

Here's to smooth sailing.

when state tax laws change, tax pros & taxpayers respond like my cats

Like several parts of the country, this week we got abnormally cold temperatures and about 6 to 7 inches of snow in Nashville. We live on a hill on 16 acres. We don't normally get this much snow and definitely not this cold (zero or negative temps). Oh, did I mention we live on a hill.

So, when this level of 'winter' occurs, we basically don't go anywhere and just wait for it to melt. I do a little shoveling where I can. Actually, I did shovel my road on my hill so I could attempt to get out if I wanted to. Most people would have just played the waiting game. Not me. (Let's attempt to hurt my back for the sake of a clean road.)

My family calls this week - "snow week." A time where work pauses and my wife gets to play games, do art, and fun stuff with our daughters. In other words, a time where everyone is trapped at home.

While I continue to work from home as if nothing has happened.

THE CATS

We have three outdoor cats that we gathered up and put in our heated garage to protect them from the extreme cold. When I go in the garage every morning, one cat is content and just wants to be left alone, one cat is a little confused, but then immediately starts to eat and seems relaxed, and the last cat follows me around, wanting petted non-stop, looking like he wants to jump on my head (he's the anxious one). He keeps acting like he wants out of the garage. Our garage doors are glass. He will sit at our garage doors and just look outside and whine.

Sidenote - when he is outside and winter comes (starts to get colder), he will often come to our windows or doors and look in - like he wants to be inside. In other words, you can't make him happy. He always wants the opposite of what he has (sound familiar?). He thinks he wants out of the garage so he can play in the snow and cold, but he would immediately want back in.

Why do I share all of this in a newsletter about state taxes?

Well, I think life has a lot of great analogies for state taxes (or it's just because that's my profession).

JANUARY IS "SNOW MONTH" FOR THE TAX PROFESSION

We are in the middle of January and it is the calm before the storm for most tax practitioners. In the state and local tax (SALT) profession, there really isn't any off-season. It's busy season year-round. With that said, we do experience "higher call-volumes" during tax 'busy season.'

In addition to tax 'busy season' getting ready to kick-off, state government legislative season or sessions will be starting soon. Governors and others are already making their proposals or ideas known. Every year, states change their tax laws via these sessions. These changes can be unique to the state or they can be related to conforming or not conforming with federal tax legislation. These changes are in addition to the daily non-legislative changes that occur due to new interpretations of current law, court decisions, private letter rulings, audit adjustments related to grey areas of tax law that taxpayers did not expect to be interpreted in a certain way.

Some state tax policy organizations that are great resources for monitoring law changes or being involved in impacting policy changes are:

• The Tax Foundation

• Council on State Taxation (COST)

• Multistate Tax Commission (MTC)

• National Conference of State Legislatures

• Federation of Tax Administrators

The Tax Foundation published an article about State Tax Changes taking effect January 1, 2024.

COST has a lot of great resources that only members can obtain, but they also provide some great FREE resources such as their Policy Position Statements, Amicus Briefs, other studies and reports, etc.

The MTC has a number of uniformity working groups that you can participate in or attend that can be enlightening.

WHEN STATE TAX LAWS CHANGE, TAX PROS AND TAXPAYERS RESPOND LIKE MY CATS

Just like my cats, tax pros and taxpayers respond differently to tax law changes and this time of year.

Some tax pros and taxpayers will greet tax law changes like its no big deal, not realizing the impact or the reason why they should care.

Some tax pros and taxpayers will understand what is going on and be cautious and take a 'wait and see' approach, calmly waiting for guidance so they can make informed decisions and move on.

Some tax pros and taxpayers will be anxious, will want guidance immediately, even if the tax law change has just been proposed and not enacted. They will pace and want to know what to do (even if the law change never happens).

Regardless of what cat you feel most like, this is an annual, recurring event where state tax law changes can feel like an 'avalanche' of snow.

An effective state tax pro, daily monitors state tax law changes in addition to the annual state legislative sessions.

A state tax pro looks for risks and opportunities to taxpayers.

A state tax pro provides technical and cost-effective practical guidance. Identifying the grey areas. Explaining the issues and options. Providing navigation. A compass. A roadmap. Direction.

In the context of thinking of state tax law changes as snow, a state tax pro provides a 'shovel' or 'snow plow.'

CONCLUSION

Regardless of how you feel about state tax law changes or snow, winter comes every year. I hope you don't get trapped at home for too long when winter comes. I also hope you find your shovel or snow plow to move forward when the avalanche of state tax law changes occur.

Here's to spring.