States are continuing to try to limit the scope of Public Law 86‑272 (“P.L. 86-272”), and a recently filed Wisconsin case highlights this trend. On January 28, 2026, Crutchfield Corporation and Crutchfield New Media, LLC (collectively, “Crutchfield Companies”) filed a declaratory judgment action in the Wisconsin Circuit Court for Dane County against the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, the Secretary of Revenue, and the Wisconsin Attorney General, challenging a Wisconsin administrative regulation that interprets P.L. 86‑272.…
A recent decision out of the Los Angeles County Superior Court marks a significant win for taxpayers involving the use of alternative apportionment and successful challenges to the Franchise Tax Board’s (“FTB”) regulations, which the court found to be inconsistent with the statute as applied. On February 26, 2026, the court in Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. v. California Franchise Tax Board ordered the FTB (in a Proposed Statement of Decision, which becomes final after an…
In Matter of Charter Communications, Inc. v New York State Tax Appeals Tribunal, CV-24-0971 the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department (New York’s intermediate appellate court, the “Court”) recently held that Charter Communications, Inc. and its combined affiliates were not eligible for the reduced qualified emerging technology company (“QETC”) corporate franchise tax rate. The Court agreed that each member of a combined group must independently meet the QETC definition for the group to…
The City of Chicago begins its 2026 fiscal year with a new budget containing several key tax changes (linked here), headlined by a new “Social Media Amusement Tax” (or “SMAT”). Here’s what you need to know to stay on top of your 2026 Chicago tax compliance obligations: The Chicago Social Media Amusement Tax A handful of U.S. jurisdictions have introduced the concept of a social media tax (e.g., California, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, etc.) in…