Rhode Island Archives

State and Local Tax Responses to COVID-19: States Respond to Federal Income Tax Filing Extension; COVID-19 Causes Property Tax Assessment Complications; Tax Litigation Delays Continue

March 25, 2020 By Bobby Albaral, Ted Bots, Scott Brandman, Maria Eberle, Lindsay LaCava, Stephen Long, Mark Yopp, Nicole Ford, Dmitrii Gabrielov, Rob Galloway, Drew Hemmings, Jimmy Lucas, Trevor Mauck, Kelsey Muraoka and Michael Tedesco 9 Mins Read

States continue to provide relief in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This week, numerous states responded to the federal income tax filing extension, and we expect additional states to respond in the coming days. Some states are also offering relief for non-income business taxes, and much of the relief is limited to small- to mid-size businesses. Furthermore, COVID-19 is causing complications in property tax assessments, payments, and appeals.

COVID-19: The Anticipated State and Local Tax Impacts of Coronavirus

March 12, 2020 By Bobby Albaral, Ted Bots, Scott Brandman, Maria Eberle, Lindsay LaCava, Stephen Long, Mark Yopp, Nicole Ford, Rob Galloway, Drew Hemmings, Jimmy Lucas, Trevor Mauck, Kelsey Muraoka and Michael Tedesco 5 Mins Read

The World Health Organization has officially declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic. In addition to the cost on human life, the rapid spread of COVID-19 has left a trail of economic damage affecting business revenues. COVID-19 has caused complete or partial shutdown of factories, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages, and has impacted demand in certain industries. This impact will also be felt by U.S. state, and local governments.

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in South Dakota v. Wayfair

April 18, 2018 By Michael Tedesco 3 Mins Read

Baker McKenzie attended the U.S. Supreme Court’s oral arguments yesterday in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Docket No. 17-494. At issue in the case is whether the Court should abrogate the physical presence nexus standard that it first articulated in National Bellas Hess v. Dep’t of Revenue, 386 U.S. 753 (1967), and later affirmed in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992). The Court’s decision could have a profound impact on sales and use tax nexus in the United States by altering the limitations currently imposed on a state’s ability to require out-of-state retailers to collect such tax.

Summary Judgment Denied (Again) in District of Columbia Transfer Pricing Cases

February 27, 2018 By Lindsay LaCava and Michael Tedesco 5 Mins Read

ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, Hess Corporation, and Shell Oil Company (collectively, the “Oil Companies”) were recently dealt another blow in their ongoing transfer pricing dispute with the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (“OTR”). The Oil Companies are among several taxpayers that have been fighting the validity of the transfer pricing methodology employed by Chainbridge Software LLC (“Chainbridge”), the OTR’s third-party transfer pricing consultant. Just last year, the Oil Companies unsuccessfully sought to estop the OTR from relitigating the validity of the controversial Chainbridge methodology in light of the OAH’s holding in Microsoft Corp. v. Office of Tax and Revenue (2012) that the Chainbridge methodology was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable (for prior coverage, see DC Office of Tax and Revenue Set to Relitigate Chainbridge Methodology in Oil Company Cases). In a January 26, 2018 Order, Office of Administrative Hearings (“OAH”) Administrative Law Judge Bernard H. Weberman denied the Oil Companies’ motion for summary judgment, holding that they failed to establish that the transfer pricing method employed by Chainbridge was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable as a matter of law. Hess Corp., et. al. v. D.C. Office of Tax & Revenue, Case Nos. 2012-OTR-00027, 2011-OTR-00047, 2011-OTR-00049 (Jan. 26, 2018).