CLEANING UP STATE TAX EXPOSURE

In case you missed what states have amnesty programs going on currently, I thought I would send you a link to COST's (Council on State Taxation) quick summary.

Amnesty can be a great tool for states and taxpayers, but sometimes a voluntary disclosure agreement is a better option.

What is an Amnesty Program?

An amnesty program is generally a time period established by a state to allow taxpayers who are delinquent on their taxes to come forward, and pay those taxes without penalties being imposed. Usually interest is still imposed, but sometimes it may be waived as well. Each state amnesty program is different or unique; meaning, they each contain their own set of rules, guidelines and qualifications. Amnesty programs usually pertain to certain tax periods, specific tax types, and taxpayers who meet certain criteria. In other words, "look before you leap."

Taxpayers who are eligible for an amnesty program, but don’t take advantage of the program, are often faced with harsh penalties if caught after the program has ended.

Voluntary Disclosure Agreements

When amnesty programs are not in effect, most states still have what they call “Voluntary Disclosure Agreement” (VDA) programs which allow taxpayers to come forward on an anonymous basis, limit the number of prior years required to be filed (usually 4), and pay taxes and interest. Under most VDA programs, penalties are waived, but not interest.

Remember, a voluntary disclosure agreement is only able to be utilized if the state has not already contacted the taxpayer (in most cases). If the state contacts the taxpayer first, the state can make the taxpayer file returns for all previous years in which the company had nexus in the state.

7 Questions Companies & State Governments Should Consider

1. If alternative apportionment is wide open and anything goes, why have statutes?

2. Are we moving from apportionment to allocation when we use single-sales factor apportionment and market-based sourcing?

3. Is single-sales factor apportionment 'fair apportionment'? It moves income to customer states, not to states where the activities occurred that generated the income. Income is not based solely on sales.

4. Are throwback and throwout rules unconstitutional because they look beyond the borders of the state?

5. Should states be able to enact retroactive legislation to protect the state budget from financial loss?

6. Should retroactive legislation be limited to a state's statute of limitations?

7. Should judicial decisions only apply to the taxpayer involved in the litigation if it involves a refund?

STATE TAX KNOWLEDGE UPDATE (59 ITEMS) - May 22, 2018

The following are state tax and business developments I have curated since May 2nd, and posted in the LEVERAGE SALT LinkedIn group:

Some of the items may be on the same state/issue/topic, but they are from different sources which may give you a broader perspective to help your company or client.

1. Wisconsin Explains Reconciliation with Federal Consolidated Returns

2. Preview of the share image State Sales Tax Shakeup

3. Indiana Offers Voluntary Disclosure Initiative for Out-of-State Retailers

4. Kentucky Requires IRC Sec. 199A Addback, Restores Credits

5. South Dakota Provides Guidance on Foreign Dividend Recapture

6. MTC Section 18 Alternative Apportionment Regulatory Project Moves Forward with Two Proposed Model Rules - Draft Model Use Tax Reporting Statute Also Advances

7. Alabama DOR Issues Guidance on IRC Sec 965 Transition Tax Impact on State Tax Returns

8. California FTB Moves Forward with New Draft Proposed Amendments to Market-Based Sourcing Regulation

9. Florida DOR Issues Guidance on IRC Sec 965 Transition Tax Impact on State Corporate Tax Returns

10. New Kentucky Law Imposes Mandatory Unitary Combined Reporting Regime

11. Ohio Supreme Court Holds in Taxpayer Favor Regarding Credit Computation for Pre-CAT NOLs

12. Oregon DOR Issues Proposed Administrative Rule on New State Repatriation Tax Credit Pursuant to IRC Sec 965 Repatriation Income for Tax Year 2017

13. Growing Number of State Sales Tax Jurisdictions Makes South Dakota v. Wayfair That Much More Imperative

14. Oklahoma Allows Transition Tax Installment Payment Election

15. Tax Reform Task Force Names Income Tax Proposals for Further Study

16. California OTA Readopts Emergency Rules on Administration and Procedures of Appeals and Petitions for Rehearing

17. Focusing the Lens on Film Credits

18. Indiana DOR Offers Special Limited-Time VDI for Out-of-State Online Retailers with In-State Inventory

19. New Georgia Law Addresses Federal Partnership Audit Regime Changes and How to Report Adjustments for State Purposes

20. Taxpayer Asks US Supreme Court to Review 2017 Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling on NOL Carryovers

21. South Dakota DOR Discusses Federal Tax Law Changes Relating to Foreign Dividend Recapture and Potential Impact for State Bank Tax Purposes

22. Texas Comptroller Issues Franchise Tax Ruling on Whether Proceeds from Certain Hedging Transactions Are Included in Apportionment Factor

23. Alabama DOR Discusses New Law Requiring Certain Marketplace Facilitators to Collect and Remit Tax

24. New Georgia Law Requires Some Remote Sellers to Collect and Remit Tax or Else Adhere to Information Reporting Requirements

25. California FTB Issues Final Report on California’s Conformity to 2017 Federal Income Tax Changes

26. State and Local Tax Technology Checklist (Techlist)

27. TWIST - This Week in State Tax

28. Georgia Expands “Dealer,” Adds Use Tax Notice Requirement

29. Alabama Opens for Amnesty Applications on July 1

30. Connecticut Legislature Approves Pass-Through Entity Tax

31. Legislative Session Review: Georgia

32. California May 18 meeting on changes to market based sourcing rules

33. Connecticut Requires Bonus Depreciation, Sec. 179 Adjustments

34. IRC Conformity Bill Goes to Hawaii Governor

35. Indiana Special Session Considers IRC Conformity

36. North Carolina Proposes Income Tax Rate Changes

37. Legislative Session Review: Kansas

38. Indiana Enacts IRC Conformity Bill

39. Indiana Revises Corporate Income Tax Rate Calculation and Credit

40. Massachusetts Provides Estimated Tax Penalty Relief for IRC Sec. 965 Income

41. Oklahoma Creates New Credits for Vehicle Manufacturing Industry

42. “One Maryland” Credit Revised

43. Maryland Retains Personal Exemptions

44. Alabama DOR Reminds that 2018 Amnesty Program Begins July 1

45. Kentucky Claims Commission Amends Rules Related to Tax Appeals Procedures

46. Alabama DOR Issues Amended Rules on NOL Carryforwards and Revised Filing Due Dates

47. Updated Connecticut Administrative Guidance Discusses Treatment of IRC Sec 965 Federal Repatriation Transition Tax

48. New Indiana Law Updates State Conformity to IRC

49. Massachusetts DOR Issues Release on Estimated Tax Penalty Relief for Corporations Affected by Transition Tax on Deferred Foreign Earnings

50. New Oklahoma Law Permits Electing Federal Transition Tax Installment Payers to Elect Similar Payment Scheme for State Purposes

51. Pennsylvania DOR Announces that 2017 State Supreme Court Ruling on NOL Carryovers Will Not Be Applied to Earlier Years

52. City of Seattle Poised to Impose an Employee Hours Tax on Some Businesses

53. Alabama Tribunal Judge Denies DOR Motion to Stay in Online Retailer Legal Challenge of Economic Presence Rule for Out-of-State Sellers Making Threshold Sales into Alabama

54. New York eyes UBT in response to federal tax reform

55. Pennsylvania Clarifies Caps for NOL Calculations

56. California Requires Return Adjustments for Sec. 965 Amounts

57. Minnesota Legislature Passes IRC Conformity, Rate Reductions

58. Friday Tax Reform: States Issue Guidance, Waive Penalties for Foreign Income

59. Corporate Close-Up: Indiana Latest State to Respond to Federal Tax Reform

The above represents 'general curating' of state tax developments into one spot. If you still feel overwhelmed by the volume of state tax developments, please consider my 'custom curating' service. Meaning, clients hire LEVERAGE SALT to daily curate state tax developments relating to a specific industry, state(s), tax type and issue. You can make it as granular as you prefer. This allows you to reduce information overload, and only get the information you need to help your clients or company. This service is provided on a fixed-fee or subscription basis. Contact me at strahle@leveragesalt.com.

Will Your Company Owe More or Less State Tax After the Merger?

Is your company considering restructuring its business? Perhaps creating new legal entities or re-aligning its lines of business into different entities? Changing the ownership structure of the legal entities within the commonly controlled affiliated group? Or maybe it is considering acquiring or merging with a new business (unrelated third-party)?

Regardless of your company's situation, in each of the above mentioned scenarios, your company must perform its due diligence prior to completing any transaction or restructuring. That due diligence should take into consideration the impact the restructuring or transaction will have on the business operations, legal obligations, insurance, finance, and tax, etc.

Additionally, the company can't neglect state and local tax due diligence. If the transaction ends up costing the company a significant amount of state tax dollars now or in the future, you may be asked if these issues were considered or reviewed prior to completing the transaction.

The state and local tax impact can be material and varied. Some of the potential state and local taxes to take into consideration are: income tax, gross receipts taxes, franchise taxes, sales and use taxes, property taxes and transfer taxes.

Usually the biggest concern in regards to the transaction from a state and local tax perspective are:

1. Is there any sales tax on the sale or transfer of assets or change in ownership?

2. Is there any transfer tax on the transfer of assets or change in ownership?

The answers to these questions depends on the state or states involved.

In addition to the above, the impact that the restructuring will have on the business' state tax nexus (taxable presence) position across the country should be reviewed and considered before making any changes.

What do you think are the top issues/topics in state taxation today?

1. State income tax reform/response to federal tax reform (which covers a wide variety of issues - depreciation, foreign income, dividends, charitable contributions, NOLs, Domestic Production Deduction, Sec. 199A, M&E, interest expenses, Sec. 118, related party expenses, deemed repatriation, like-kind exchange repeal, Sec. 179 expense, R&E expenses amortization)
2. Wayfair Supreme Court Case regarding sales tax nexus/collection obligations/possible overturn of Quill/physical presence
3. State taxation of foreign income
4. Market-based sourcing impact (continuing trend)
5. Alternative apportionment (is it all alternative?)
6. Management & utilization of NOLs / 382 NOL issues
7. Combined reporting vs. separate reporting 
8. Single-sales factor apportionment impacts (continuing trend)
9. Whether to utilize Voluntary Disclosure Agreement/Amnesty programs
10. Utilizing and negotiating credits and incentives
11. State income taxation of pass-through entities (new pass-through entity audit rules)
12. Related party expenses / transfer pricing
13. Private letter ruling requests
14. Other?????

Businesses Want to Do Business, NOT Taxes

Businesses are playing a game where the rules keep changing, in the middle of the game. 

Taxes keep changing. A constant battle for businesses to keep up when all businesses want to do is business, not taxes.

Businesses must be able to do business with certainty. State tax laws already lack uniformity and create so many opportunities for businesses to screw up. Now, they keep changing, year to year, day to day.

Over the past few months as state governments have been in session, they have passed numerous pieces of legislation to balance the budget including changes to tax rates, filing methodologies, sourcing rules, etc. along with how or if they will conform to all or parts of federal tax reform.

I have been monitoring state tax legislation and have submitted approximately 30 alerts to clients regarding the changes (and we aren't done yet). More to come. 

Let's work together to make state taxes less important, so businesses can thrive.