As you know from reading our blogs, multi-state tax can be difficult to navigate! When businesses sell their products across state lines, they need to think about whether they have taxable presence, or nexus, in the state and if their products are taxable.

Generally companies establish nexus by having a physical presence in the state. However, several states have recently been pushing the boundaries of defining the physical presence notion in order to generate more revenue. The concept of “economic nexus” is gaining greater momentum. Read More

Prior to 2013, taxpayers who paid Missouri sales tax on exempt purchases of machinery, equipment and parts were required to request a refund from the seller. However, House Bill 1504 which was signed into law by the Governor on July 10, 2012 and went into effect on Aug. 28, 2012 now provides an easier alternative for purchasers to obtain refunds directly from the Missouri Department of Revenue. Rather than requesting a refund directly from the seller, purchasers can now obtain a notarized assignment of rights form (“AOR form”) from the seller. Read More

I just returned from an amazing vacation – a cruise of the Mediterranean. We started in Athens, Greece; spent just a couple days there enjoying the history, and then boarded our ship.  The cruise took us to the Greek isles of Santorini and Crete, and then we sailed to Italy, the beautiful St. Tropez, France, and finally Barcelona, Spain. We finished our vacation by sampling many, many tapas and wines in Barcelona. About midway through our vacation, I found myself wondering – how could I do U.S. multistate tax consulting somewhere in Europe?  I’m still working on that angle, and will certainly keep you posted. Read More

John Dundon

The Colorado Department of Revenue has finally revised its guidelines in FYI Income 54 regarding people who do not live in Colorado but are partners and/or shareholders of partnerships and/or S corporations in Colorado, ensuring that pass-through entities pay Colorado income tax on their Colorado-source income. This Enrolled Agent says “About Time!”

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Alan Smith

No! Overturning Quill Corporation v North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992) would mean retailers throughout the United States would have to collect, report and remit sales tax for all other states with a sales tax even if the retailer has no physical presence in the other states.

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An entrepreneur’s dream is to start her own business and witness it grow. First, she wants to see it grow locally. And then, she may see it grow statewide. Whether the company is a small retail operation or a cutting edge technology company, the next step up may be overwhelming as the business begins to operate across state lines. At that point, there are many strategic and tactical issues including hiring employees or contractors operating in other states, or the maintenance of inventory.

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Over the past few years the Florida Department of Revenue (“FDOR”) has launched several new campaigns. About 2 years ago, the DOR gained the ability to access the data tracking all tobacco and alcohol items sold to retailers. Armed with third party data, the FDOR did several thousands of audits on those that sold tobacco or alcohol items. With the downturn in the economy, times are tough for the State of Florida and they are launching a similar campaign against auto dealers using DMV records. It was also brought to our attention that the DOR is launching a new campaign by training its auditors for motor fuel tax audits as well.

Has the FDOR reached out to your company or your client’s company about a pending Florida Motor Audit? If you or your client already received the Florida Form DR-840 – Notice 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