The unofficial start of summer 2014 is upon us with the celebration of Memorial Day this weekend. Summer, with its beautiful long days,  is the perfect season for exploration .  For the past 25 years summer  has meant one thing to me: Road Trip! Road trips have always given me an opportunity to refresh…

It’s often the case that we get so caught up in our daily work that we neglect to step back and fully discern the magnitude of a developing situation.  After drafting the past several posts, I realized that a disconcerting pattern was being composed in front of my eyes – one that warrants all multistate…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, state government tax coffers are overflowing. They rose for the third consecutive year to $846.2 billion in 2013, with total state tax revenues increasing by 6.1% over the year before. It’s a safe bet to say states are pleased with their progress and will use every tool in their…

Got a company jet ready to fly you anywhere at a moment’s notice? The benefits of such a perk are significant. But did you know that leasing or owning a company jet could increase your state taxes?  While there is plenty of guidance on the most tax efficient way to acquire or initiate…

When Governor Cuomo signed New York State’s FY 2014-15 executive budget into law last month, he ushered in sweeping changes to New York’s tax provisions – including some which may increase taxes for Multistate taxpayers. The budget contains several provisions that may benefit multistate taxpayers, especially those who qualify as manufacturers.  Equally important, the legislation…

The implications of New York State’s guidance on bulk sales may have far-reaching consequences and could  result in personal liability for the “buyer”  –  even in a transfer that is  technically not a “sale.” In June of 2013, nearly 30 years after New York issued its seminal guidance on bulk sales in

As budget demands for more revenue intensifies, states are employing sophisticated technology to boost tax dollars –a move which has significant implications for multistate taxpayers. States are increasingly using data mining software to examine current taxpayers, discover new taxpayers, verify taxpayer data, and identify taxpayer inconsistencies.  Coupled with the states’ adoption of aggressive nexus…

Understanding the sales tax rate sourcing provisions for states in which you have sales tax nexus is critical in determining the correct sales tax on a transaction.  If you don’t, you could end up charging and collecting the wrong sales tax rate. In general, states employ two sourcing methods, origin and destination.  In states that…

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings on Exploring Alternative Solutions on the Internet Sales Tax Issue.  The Hearings shed new light on the breadth and diversity of the sales tax issues arising from the MFA’s attempt to remedy state tax revenue shortfalls from the retail e-commerce industry.  The Hearing most…

Since the Marketplace Fairness Act may expand any business’ sales and use tax registration, collection and remittance requirements into many additional states, every business, not only e-commerce retailers, should keenly monitor the MFA Hearings scheduled for this week in the House. Recently the House Judiciary Committee rescheduled its hearings on Exploring Alternative Solutions on…

Businesses are starting to move more of their operations to the “Cloud” and hire “Cloud” vendors to provide an increasingly diverse number of services. While engaging these vendors may result in significant business benefits, buyer beware.  If you’re not careful, you could end up being required to register as a sales tax vendor and collect…

State tax exam information requests are increasingly becoming more comprehensive and demanding. We’ve noticed a disturbing trend with our clients who maintain  their records electronically.   States, in their information document requests, are requesting that those businesses supply all transaction data for the entire period covered by the exam; i.e. data regarding every transaction, every check…

The U.S. economy is still in the doldrums, but states had a banner year in 2012. How did they do it? Simple answer? They leveraged everything in their power to bring new tax revenue into their coffers. How? By relying on new enhancements to existing tax collection procedures. By leveraging advanced technological approaches to identifying…

Welcome to SALT Strategies.  It is with significant effort, some trepidation and great optimism that we launch this blog.   SALT Strategies will be prepared by the dedicated State and Local Tax Group at CPA and business advisory firm Margolin, Winer & Evens LLP. We are professionals with decades of  experience in providing state and local tax consulting…