AB 252, a proposal in the California legislature “would prohibit the imposition by a city, city and county, or county, including a chartered city, city and county, or county, of a tax on video streaming services, including, but not limited to, any tax on the sale or use of video streaming services or any utility user tax on video streaming services.
Pennsylvania, like many other states, is adjusting its tax statutes to include more goods and services within the taxable definitions. Following recent changes to its somewhat confusing new legislation, the state issued a “clarifying” bulletin for use in interpreting the new requirements. In this blog, we will discuss a few areas of this clarification, as well as an amnesty program available to some businesses.
The ease of listing your home, vacation property or a room on Airbnb or similar web platform has turned a lot of individuals into landlords. We hear about these landlords being subject to local taxes such as the transient occupancy tax (hotel tax) and business license tax, but what about state and/or local sales tax?
In some jurisdictions, sales tax applies. So that is one more thing to check. (And don’t forget that one of the first things to check is if the local jurisdiction even allows short-term rentals!)
What do you think? Read more
We’ve been in the “digital economy” for some time, yet it continues to evolve with new business activities and ways of living. And, we see “old economy” businesses, like Ford Motor, move more into the new economy.
I define the digital economy from the perspective of how people and businesses engage in it:
• Transacting business with virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin;
• Providing digital goods and services; and
• Transacting business enhanced by the Internet, such as finding customers, including Read more
The IRS has released IRS Notice 2015-13, which provides transition relief given the late retroactive renewal of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program in December 2014. Notice 2015-13 waves the 28-day deadline for submitting IRS Form 8850 (the WOTC Pre-screen Notice) for qualifying employees hired in 2014. The extended deadline for submitting the applications for affected employees is now April 30, 2015.
From the Notice:
What state tax rules and issues exist when a business accepts bitcoin from customers? What about for the customers? In March 2014, the IRS told us that convertible, virtual currency should be treated as property (rather than as currency under any special rule for currency, such as Code Section 988). That was in Notice 2014-21. States have mostly been silent on the topic. Where states conform to the federal system, that means, treat as property as well. But what about treatment for sales tax and some special state income tax issues, such as sourcing?
New York recently issued guidance on both income and sales tax.
I’m working on an article about state tax issues and virtual currency. What issues do you Read more
Our federal tax system includes numerous dollar amounts, such as for the standard deduction amount, personal exemption amount, credits, where different tax rates start and end, and defining the parameters of a “small taxpayer.” Some of these amounts are adjusted for inflation and others are not. Should they all be? That’s a good question.
I think where the tax rates of the graduated rate system start and end should be adjusted annually for inflation. This prevents “bracket creep” where a taxpayer is pushed into a higher tax bracket just because their income increased by the rate of inflation (yet their buying power and sense of wealth remained the same). The same logic calls for adjusting the standard deduction and personal exemption amounts. Read more
California is unique in the structure of its tax system. Most States operate under a single tax agency. The Federal government uses a single tax agency called the IRS. But California has three tax agencies! They are the Franchise Tax Board (“FTB”), Board Of Equalization (“BOE”) and the Employment Development Department (“EDD”).
The FTB administers the income tax. This tax applies not only to individuals, but also to sole proprietorships, partnerships, estates, and trusts. In addition, the income “passed through” to individuals by Subchapter S corporations and certain other entities is subject to State Personal Income Taxation. The tax is applied to all sources of income unless specifically excluded, including wages and salaries, interest, dividends, business-related Read more
Now more than ever Amazon has been a one stop shop for many consumers. Not only can you buy just about anything you can think of on the Amazon website, but you can also receive lightning fast delivery of whatever you buy. Over the past few years, Amazon has taken their company to the next level. Now, in addition to selling items, Amazon provides a fulfillment service to online retailers.
As Amazon puts it, their fulfillment business “helps you grow your online business by giving you access to Amazon’s world-class fulfillment resources and expertise.” Simply put, the online retailer sends their products to Amazon. Amazon stores the item at one of its distribution centers. Once the item is purchased, Amazon packs and ships your product to the customer. In addition, Amazon provides customer support. While it certainly Read more
California SB 1077 (Chapter 835, 9/29/14) calls for creation of a Road Usage Charge (RUC) Technical Advisory Committee by the Chair of the CA Transportation Commission. This 15-member committee is to study alternatives to the gas tax and make recommendations to the Transportation Agency for a pilot program to begin by the start of 2017. The preamble to the legislation notes that existing revenues “for highways and local roads are inadequate to preserve and maintain existing infrastructure and to provide funds for improvements that would reduce congestion and improve service.” It also describes the gas tax as “an effective mechanism” for long-term infrastructure needs due to a few factors including use of more fuel efficient cars. It is estimated that by 2030, fuel efficiency will decrease otherwise available gas tax revenues by half. The bill also notes Read more
Many states, like my home state of Florida, have broad freedom of information laws. Known in Florida as the Sunshine Laws, the state’s citizens can request a wide range of information from the government. Under the laws, so long as the information is not made confidential by a specific statute/law, then the government has an obligation to provide the citizen with whatever is requested. As a state and local tax (“SALT”) practitioner, I often use this knowledge to my advantage. I often request documents and statistics from the state that I find beneficial to myself, my client, or my practice.
Other states have similar laws. In Kentucky, the Open Records Act gives its citizens a mechanism to request a broad spectrum of information from its government. Like many state agencies believe, the Kentucky Department of Revenue thought it was above the law. Read more
The Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), originally enacted in 1998 (P.L. 105-277, 10/21/98) and renewed twice, was set to expire on November 1, 2014. Its original expiration date was October 21, 2001 and then November 1, 2007. The ITFA prohibits state and local governments from imposing taxes on Internet access fees (unless already imposed and enforced before 10/1/98) or imposing any multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
H.J. Res 124, Continuing Appropriations Resolution 2015, was signed into law on 9/19/14 (P.L. 113-164). It provides funding to keep the government running until 12/11/14 and extends the ITFA to that date as well. This resolution was passed in the House on 9/17/14 (319-108) and in the Senate on 9/18/14 (78-22). Read more
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