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Current corporate income tax developments.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

* The trend toward states asserting nexus based on economic presence in a state without physical presence continued in 2008.

* A number of states passed laws disallowing the dividends-paid deduction for captive real estate investment trusts.

* States split on the issue of whether the Texas margin tax is a tax based on income and whether it is an addback for corporate tax purposes.

* The U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Illinois appellate court's decision in the Mead-Westvaco case and reversed a Kentucky appellate court A court having jurisdiction to review decisions of a trial-level or other lower court.

An unsuccessful party in a lawsuit must file an appeal with an appellate court in order to have the decision reviewed.
 in the Davis case.

**********

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

During 2008, there were many changes in the area of state and local corporate income taxation. Numerous state statutes were added, deleted, or modified; court cases were decided; regulations were proposed, issued, and modified; and bulletins and rulings were issued, released, and withdrawn. This two-part article focuses on some of the more interesting items in the following corporate income tax areas: nexus, tax base, allocable/apportionable income, apportionment The process by which legislative seats are distributed among units entitled to representation; determination of the number of representatives that a state, county, or other subdivision may send to a legislative body. The U.S.  formulas, filing methods/unitary groups, and administration. The article also includes several other significant state tax developments. Part I, below, covers the first three areas; the remaining topics will be reviewed in Part II in the April 2009 issue.

Nexus

Arizona

The Department of Revenue (DOR Dor or Dora, Canaanite seaport, ancient Palestine (modern Israel), N of Caesarea Palestinae. It was never a Jewish city but rather a Phoenician outpost. It was rebuilt by the Romans; still visible are the ruins of a temple and a theater. ) held that an out-of-state franchisor that received license and royalty fees from franchisees located within Arizona had sufficient nexus with Arizona for state corporate income tax purposes. (1) Citing economic nexus cases from other jurisdictions, the DOR agreed that the physical presence test articulated in Quill quill: see pen.  (2) is limited to sales and use tax Sales and use tax refers to:
  • Sales tax
  • Use tax
 cases.

Idaho

Effective January 1, 2008, HB 141, Laws 2007, repealed the provision that exempts non-Idaho banks and financial institutions from the Idaho income tax by eliminating the prior "transacting business" exceptions for soliciting and acquiring loans, filing security interests, foreclosures, etc.

Indiana

The Indiana Tax Court held that economic presence is sufficient to satisfy the substantial nexus requirement. Thus, the Commerce Clause does not require physical presence to subject an organization to the Indiana Financial Institutions Tax. (3)

Iowa

The Administrative Hearings Division ruled that an out-of-state company that owned all the intellectual property of Kentucky Fried Chicken Fried chicken is chicken which is dipped in a breading mixture and then deep fried, pan fried or pressure fried. The breading seals in the juices but also absorbs the fat of the fryer, which is sometimes seen as unhealthy. , including the related trademarks and trade names as well as all other aspects of preparing and marketing the food products, and that licensed this intellectual property to nonaffiliated restaurant franchisees nationwide, had corporate income tax nexus with Iowa even though it lacked an in-state physical presence. (4)

Louisiana

The Louisiana Court of Appeal affirmed that the state corporate income/ franchise tax could be imposed on royalties earned by an out-of-state trademark subsidiary under a licensing agreement that based the royalties on its parent retailer's sales, even though the trademark company lacked an in-state physical presence. (5)

Maine

In its February 2008 Tax Alert, Maine Revenue Services (MRS MRS - Modifiable Representation System.

An integration of logic programming into Lisp.

["A Modifiable Representation System", M. Genesereth et al, HPP 80-22, CS Dept Stanford U 1980].
) announced that it believes economic nexus alone subjects an entity to Maine tax and "[a]ll open periods may be subject to review." (6)

Maryland

A Maryland circuit court affirmed the Maryland Tax Court's decision, which held that an out-of-state royalty company that licensed various trademarks/ intangibles to its parent company retailer lacked real economic substance as a separate business entity and was liable for Maryland corporate income tax. (7) The court held that its activities should be viewed through the substantial in-state activities of its operating parent, imparting nexus in Maryland on the royalty company for state corporate income tax purposes.

In a similar decision, the Maryland Tax Court held that two out-of-state trademark subsidiaries of a parent retailer that did business in Maryland were liable for Maryland corporate income tax because they lacked real economic substance as separate business entities. (8) Following the The Classics Chicago, Inc. decision, the court found that the companies' activities should be viewed through the substantial in-state activities of their operating parent, which imparted the requisite nexus in Maryland for state corporate income tax purposes.

Michigan

Revenue Administrative Bulletin (RAB Rab (räb), Ital. Arbe, island (1991 pop. 9,205), 40 sq mi (104 sq km) off Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea. One of the Dalmatian islands, it is a popular seaside resort. Fishing and agriculture are the main occupations. ) 2008-4 (10/21/08) explains that nexus is established if a taxpayer (1) has a physical presence in the state for more than one day during the tax year or (2) actively solicits sales in Michigan and has at least $350,000 of Michigan-sourced gross receipts the total of the receipts, before they are diminished by any deduction, as for expenses; - distinguished from net profits.
- Bouvier.

See under Gross,

a. os>

See also: Gross Receipt
.

The RAB also explains that persons whose activities are limited to those protected by P.L. 86-272 are not subject to the business income tax portion of the Michigan Business Tax (MBT MBT Minimum (Spark Advance For) Best Torque
MBT Masai Barefoot Technology
MBT Main Battle Tank
MBT Mechanical Biological Treatment (waste treatment)
MBT Mercaptobenzothiazole
MBT Master of Business Taxation
); however, persons otherwise having sufficient nexus are still subject to the modified gross receipts tax A gross receipts tax, sometimes referred to as a gross excise tax, is a tax on the total gross revenues of a company, regardless of their source. It is similar to a sales tax, but it is levied on the seller of goods or services rather than the consumer.  portion of the MBT. The RAB provides numerous examples illustrating the nexus standards.

Missouri

In a letter ruling, the DOR ruled that an out-of-state insurance company that solely generated Medicare Part D premiums (which are exempt from Missouri's gross premiums tax) was subject to Missouri's corporation income tax because merely being "subject to" the state gross premiums tax does not relieve a taxpayer of its Missouri corporation income tax liability. (9)

New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E).  

An out-of-state company that sold products and performed recruiting functions within the state through district managers was deemed subject to the state business profits tax profits tax nimpuesto sobre los beneficios

profits tax n (Brit) → impôt m sur les bénéfices

profits tax profit (Brit
 because the managers were considered the company's employees rather than independent contractors. (10) The managers did not satisfy the state administrative rule's requirements for classification as independent contractors, even though they had been granted independent contractor status as direct sellers for federal income tax purposes, because they did not work for more than one principal.

New Jersey

The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division In several jurisdictions, the Appellate Division is the name of a court, or division of a court, that hears appeals from lower courts.
  • For the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, see New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division.
, reversed and remanded the New Jersey Tax Court's earlier decision and held that the economic nexus rule established in Lanco (11) does not apply for tax years prior to 1996, the year in which an amended department regulation added an example providing that a royalty-earning intangible holding company had income tax nexus by earning trademark royalties related to sales of products by an affiliate in New Jersey. (12)

New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
 

For tax years beginning after 2007, a credit card issuer that has any of the following is subject to tax: (1) credit cards issued to 1,000 or more customers with New York mailing addresses; (2) merchant customer contracts and the total number of New York locations covered by those contracts equals 1,000 or more; (3) a combined number of New York customers and New York merchant locations that equals 1,000 or more; or (4) combined receipts of $1 million or more from New York cardholders and merchant customer contracts related to New York merchant locations. (13)

Oregon

The DOR adopted regulation OAR 150-317.010, which "clarifies" that a corporation may have substantial nexus with Oregon without having a physical presence. The regulation also provides that substantial nexus exists where a taxpayer regularly takes advantage of Oregon's economy to produce income and that nexus may be established through the significant economic presence of the taxpayer in the state.

South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures


Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15.
 

The DOR issued a revenue ruling (14) addressing "some of the common questions that have arisen relating to relating to relate prepconcernant

relating to relate prepbezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc 
 taxpayers concerned about the implications of Geoffrey." (15) The ruling clarifies a previously issued revenue ruling (SC Rev. Rul. No. 98-3) and provides examples that show activities or relationships that will not, by themselves, create income tax nexus with South Carolina.

Virginia

An in-state producer/seller of tangible personal property with two out-of-state subsidiaries that operated as accounts receivable accounts receivable n. the amounts of money due or owed to a business or professional by customers or clients. Generally, accounts receivable refers to the total amount due and is considered in calculating the value of a business or the business' problems in paying  factoring companies created state corporate income tax nexus for one of the subsidiaries by having its in-state employees service receivables in Virginia on the subsidiary's behalf. (16) Such servicing activities included the review of existing customers' credit worthiness and the discussion of delinquent accounts. These activities exceeded the protections provided by P.L. 86-272 and were conducted by the parent on behalf of its indirectly owned subsidiary. However, even though the out-of-state subsidiary may have established nexus with Virginia, the provided facts raised the question of whether it had any income sourced to Virginia under the state's apportionment provisions.

West Virginia West Virginia, E central state of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland (N), Virginia (E and S), and Kentucky and, across the Ohio R., Ohio (W). Facts and Figures


Area, 24,181 sq mi (62,629 sq km). Pop.
 

Legislation enacted during 2008 reinstated the economic nexus standard for financial organizations that otherwise would have been repealed after 2008. (17)

State Tax Base

The majority of states imposing a corporate income-based tax begin the computation of state taxable income Under the federal tax law, gross income reduced by adjustments and allowable deductions. It is the income against which tax rates are applied to compute an individual or entity's tax liability. The essence of taxable income is the accrual of some gain, profit, or benefit to a taxpayer.  with taxable income as reflected on the federal corporate income tax return (Form 1120, U.S. Corporate Income Tax Return). These states use either taxable income before net operating loss operating loss

The excess of operating expenses over revenue. As with operating income, operating losses exclude revenues and expenses from operations that are not considered a regular part of the business. Also called deficit. Compare operating income.
 (NOL NOL - Never Offline ) and special deductions (Line 28) or taxable income (Line 30). Certain state-specific addition and subtraction subtraction, fundamental operation of arithmetic; the inverse of addition. If a and b are real numbers (see number), then the number ab is that number (called the difference) which when added to b (the subtractor) equals  modifications are then applied to arrive at the state tax base. Following is a summary of the significant changes to the rules regarding states' tax bases.

Deductions Related to Dividends

Alabama

HB 62, Laws 2008, disallows the dividends-paid deduction (DPD DPD Department of Planning and Development
DPD Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase
DPD Dead Peer Detection (Cisco)
DPD Division of Parasitic Diseases (US CDC)
DPD Dominant Wave Period
DPD Drug Product Database
) for captive real estate investment trusts (REITs) and limits the dividends-received deduction Dividends-received deduction

A corporate tax deduction on income allowed by company A that is in ownership of shares of company B and receives dividends on the shares of company B.
 (DRD DRD Dopa-Responsive Dystonia
DRD Dividends Received Deduction
DRD Drag Rescue Device (firefighter bunker)
DRD Deputy Regional Director
DRD Data Requirements Document
DRD Direct Reading Dosimeter
DRD Department of Redundancy Department
) for corporate owners to the deduction that would have been permitted under Sec. 243 if received from an entity that was not a REIT REIT

See: Real Estate Investment Trust


REIT

See real estate investment trust (REIT).
.

Illinois

Legislation passed in 2007 disallowed the DPD for captive REITs for tax years beginning after 2008. HB 5069, Laws 2008, provides that the director of the DOR may not make an adjustment under 35 ILCS ILCS Illinois Compiled Statutes
ILCS Iraq Living Conditions Survey (UN Development Programme for Iraq)
ILCS International Liquid Crystal Society
ILCS International Logistics Communication System
ILCS Improved Low-Cost Sonobuoy
 5/404 to base income that would have the same effect as retroactively applying this and other 2007 law changes.

Massachusetts

In a case involving two REITs that received interest income from real estate loans transferred to them by two parent banks and that paid out the interest income in the form of dividends to two Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States
Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches.
 passive investment companies, which in turn paid dividends to the parent banks, the Appellate Tax Board (ATB ATB Antibiotic
ATB All The Best
ATB Ability to Benefit
ATB André Tanneberger (musician)
ATB Across the Board
ATB Active Time Battle (roleplaying game)
ATB All Terrain Bike
ATB Alberta Treasury Branches
) ruled that the contested transactions were instituted for the sole purpose of avoiding Massachusetts tax. (18) Because the transactions lacked economic substance and business purpose, the ATB ruled that the transactions were a sham and upheld the state revenue commissioner's disallowance dis·al·low  
tr.v. dis·al·lowed, dis·al·low·ing, dis·al·lows
1. To refuse to allow: "[The government]
 of the REITs' DPDs. In addition, because the REITs failed to establish that they were taxable in another state, their income was not apportionable Adj. 1. apportionable - capable of being distributed
allocable, allocatable

distributive - serving to distribute or allot or disperse
 among the various states in which real estate securing the loans was located.

Tennessee

For tax years ending after June 30, 2008, financial institutions must disclose dividends directly or indirectly received from captive REITs. (19)

Utah

HB 359, Laws 2008, prohibits certain captive REITs from taking a DPD for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2008.

West Virginia

HB 4420, Laws 2008, prohibits certain captive REITs and regulated investment companies Regulated investment company

An investment company allowed to pass capital gains, dividends, and interest earned on fund investments directly to its shareholders so that it is taxed only at the personal level, and double taxation is avoided.
 (RICs) from taking a DPD. The law provides some exceptions, such as allowing a DPD taken by publicly traded REITs or by qualified REITs and RICs.

NOLs

California

SB 28, Laws 2008, suspends NOL deductions for tax years beginning after 2007 and before 2010, extends the NOL carryover period to 20 years from 10 years for NOLs attributable to tax years beginning after 2007, and allows a two-year carry-back of NOLs attributable to tax years beginning after 2010.

Florida

A Florida district court of appeal affirmed the Department of Revenue's ruling that Florida's limitation of NOL carryovers to federal net losses under Sec. 172 does not invalidly discriminate against foreign corporate dividends and is therefore not unconstitutional. (20) The taxpayer unsuccessfully argued that because losses created by domestic dividend deductions can always be carried over while the foreign tax credit, calculated through the payment of foreign dividends, cannot, the law results in invalid discrimination between domestic and foreign dividends. The court explained that the taxpayer had an option under federal law to take a deduction based on the foreign taxes paid by its subsidiaries (and possibly a deduction based on foreign dividends received) but chose instead to take the credit based on taxes paid by those subsidiaries that paid it dividends.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In another development, a Florida district court of appeal reversed a lower court decision and held that the Florida separate return limitation year (SRLY SRLY Separate Return Limitation Year
SRly Southern Railway (India) 
) administrative rule, which prohibited the federal consolidated group from deducting NOLs sustained in prior tax years, is "an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority" because it "enlarges, modifies, or contravenes the specific provisions of law implemented" in violation of Florida statutes The Florida Statutes are the codified, statutory laws of the state of Florida. The laws are approved by the Florida Legislature, and signed into law by the Governor of Florida. . (21) As a result of this decision, the DOR removed the Florida SRLY provisions from Fla. Admin Code rule 12C-1.013.

Illinois

The DOR issued a revised rule that explains amendments under legislation enacted in 2007 (P.A. 95-0233), mandating that taxpayers that are required to reduce their federal NOL or NOL carryover by the amount of any discharge of indebtedness income excluded from taxation because the taxpayer is insolvent or in bankruptcy make a corresponding reduction in any Illinois net loss or net loss carryover. (22)

Maine

Corporations with a recapture subtraction modification of a previously denied NOL carryback are limited to claiming no more than $100,000 of the modification for any tax year beginning in 2008.23

In another development, Ch. 700 (LD 2305), Laws 2008, provides that for tax years beginning in 2008, corporate income taxpayers must add back to their tax base 10% of the absolute value in excess of $100,000 of any NOL that is being carried over to the tax year under Sec. 172 for federal income tax purposes. In December, MRS updated its NOL guidance to include computation carryover and recapture examples in tax year 2008 and subsequent years. (24)

New Jersey

For losses generated in periods ending after June 30, 2009, S 2130, Laws 2008, increases the NOL carryover period from 7 to 20 years.

Vermont

The Department of Taxes set forth the method to convert pre-2007 federal NOLs to Vermont NOLs. (25) For years beginning after 2006, Vermont no longer piggybacks onto the federal NOL calculation. Instead, a Vermont NOL is defined as "any negative income after allocation and apportionment of Vermont net income" and can be carried forward to offset Vermont income for up to 10 years, but it cannot be carried back.

West Virginia

Among other provisions, SB 680, Laws 2008, provides that taxpayers who filed a consolidated tax return Consolidated tax return

A tax return combining the reports of affiliated companies, that are at least 80% owned by a parent company.
 for the 2008 tax year are allowed to allocate unused NOLs and tax credits earned prior to 2009 among members of the unitary group In mathematics, the unitary group of degree n, denoted U(n), is the group of n×n unitary matrices, with the group operation that of matrix multiplication. The unitary group is a subgroup of the general linear group GL(n, C).  (i.e., no SRLY-type limitations would apply).

Intercompany Expenses

Alabama

HB 62, Laws 2008, amends the corporate income tax intangible/interest expense add-back statute by clarifying that the subject-to-tax exception applies only on a post-apportionment basis. In addition, the portion of an income item that is attributed to another taxing jurisdiction having a tax on net income is considered subject to tax even if no actual taxes were paid on the item in that taxing jurisdiction by reason of deductions or otherwise. The law limits retroactivity on these changes to tax years beginning after 2006 and requires the waiver of any penalty involving underestimated income tax, late filing of a tax return, or late payment of income tax resulting from this new law.

In another development, the Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices, elected in partisan elections for staggered six year terms.  affirmed an Alabama Court of Civil Appeals decision, which held that the taxpayer presented no compelling reason to deviate from the department's limited interpretation of the state intangible expense addback statute's unreasonable exception and that application of the statute in that case did not distort the manufacturer's income. (26) Specifically, the court held that the Court of Civil Appeals decision was a thorough and well-reasoned opinion that it adopted "in its entirety."

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals had also reasoned that the manufacturer had sufficient nexus with Alabama to justify tax imposition and that the addback statute resulted in taxation of income fairly attributable to Alabama and was not externally inconsistent. Therefore, the addback statute did not violate the Commerce or Due Process Clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The taxpayer has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to review this decision.

Indiana

An Indiana company that prepared and printed financial/business documents was allowed to deduct royalty expenses paid to an out-of-state affiliate for state adjusted gross income tax purposes because its intercompany arrangement and associated payments did not constitute an abusive tax avoidance The process whereby an individual plans his or her finances so as to apply all exemptions and deductions provided by tax laws to reduce taxable income.

Through tax avoidance, an individual takes advantage of all legal opportunities to minimize his or her state or federal
 scheme or unfairly reflect the company's Indiana source income. (27)

Similarly, a restaurateur res·tau·ra·teur   also res·tau·ran·teur
n.
The manager or owner of a restaurant.



[French, from restaurer, to restore; see restaurant.
 successfully showed that royalty, marketing, and management fee payments made by it and its three operating restaurant subsidiaries to an out-of-state wholly owned management subsidiary that held the various trade, service, and other proprietary marks associated with the parent company's restaurant business were valid business expense deductions that need not be disallowed. (28)

In another DOR ruling, an in-state shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into  development company was eligible to claim business expense deductions for license and management fees paid to its foreign parent company because the audit report failed to explain how the company's filing method did not fairly reflect its Indiana income. (29)

Minnesota

For tax years beginning after 2007, HF 3149, Laws 2008, amends the definition of a "foreign operating corporation" for purposes of the state corporation franchise tax, requiring that at least 80% of the corporation's gross income from all sources be "active foreign business income." The new law also requires five related addbacks to taxable corporate income, including (1) interest and intangible expenses, losses, and costs paid, accrued, or incurred by any member of the unitary group to or on behalf of a member that is a foreign operating corporation; (2) interest income and income generated from intangible property intangible property n. items such as stock in a company which represent value but are not actual, tangible objects.  received or accrued by a foreign operating corporation that is a member of the taxpayer's unitary group; (3) dividends attributable to the income of a foreign operating corporation group member that equal the dividends-paid deduction of a REIT to the foreign operating corporation; (4) income of a foreign operating corporation group member that equals the gains derived from the sale of real or personal property located in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. ; and (5) the federal deduction for 80% of royalties or similar income derived from a foreign operating corporation if the income resulting from the payments would be income from sources within the United States, as defined under the Code.

Ohio

The Ohio Board of Tax Appeals held that the taxpayer was ineligible for refunds from the "subject to tax" exception under Ohio's related-member intangible/interest expense addback requirement because the licensing fees at issue were paid to a related member that was subject to corporate income tax in two states (Massachusetts and South Carolina), where taxpayers are afforded the opportunity to file consolidated or combined returns. (30) Under the state's "subject to tax in other states" addback exception, "other states" do not include those states with laws allowing the taxpayer and a related member to file a combined or consolidated income tax return that could result in the elimination of the intercompany transactions at issue.

In addition, the board explained that the existence of an affiliated marketing company to receive payment for licensing fees from the taxpayer was a "tax avoidance scheme" that allowed the retailer to remove the licensing fees from its state net income and permitted them to escape taxation. The taxpayer unsuccessfully argued that although Massachusetts and South Carolina offer the opportunity to file consolidated or combined returns, the nomenclature should be ignored because neither state actually eliminates the effects of the related member transactions at issue.

Oklahoma

Effective January 1, 2008, SB 2034, Laws 2008, requires taxpayers to add back to their federal taxable income otherwise deductible rents and interest expenses paid to captive REITs.

Oregon

The Oregon Tax Court The Oregon Tax Court is a state court in the U.S. state of Oregon, which has jurisdiction in questions of law that regard state tax laws. Examples of matters that would come before this court include income taxes, corporate excise taxes, property taxes, timber taxes, cigarette  held that because a parent's initial transfer of trademark intellectual property to an insurance subsidiary must be disregarded as a sham transaction lacking economic substance, the parent could not claim subsequent royalty expense deductions for using the property because it effectively owned the property for income tax purposes. (31)

Wisconsin

For tax years beginning after 2007, intercompany interest and rental expense deductions are disallowed unless one of several exceptions is met. (32)

Deductibility of Texas Margin Tax

Kansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Wisconsin have ruled that the Texas Margin Tax is not deductible and thus must be added back for corporate tax purposes. (33) In contrast, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia have ruled that the Texas Margin Tax is not based on net income and thus is not required to be added back for corporate tax purposes. (34)

Other Modifications

Florida

DOR emergency rule 12CER Cer

goddess of violent death. [Gk. Myth.: Kravitz, 75]

See : Death



CER - Canonical Encoding Rules
08-31: (1) allows Florida taxpayers to depreciate depreciate v. in accounting, to reduce the value of an asset each year theoretically on the basis that the assets (such as equipment, vehicles or structures) will eventually become obsolete, worn out and of little value. (See: depreciation)  assets under the federal depreciation provisions in effect on January 1, 2007, if federal bonus depreciation is elected for those assets; (2) allows Florida taxpayers to deduct, in years after 2008, the difference between the depreciation that would have been allowable under the federal depreciation provisions in effect on January 1, 2007, and the amount of depreciation expense deducted on the federal return for assets on which 2008 federal bonus depreciation was elected; (3) establishes a similar recapture mechanism for disallowed 2008 additional Sec. 179 expense; and (4) provides for basis adjustments to account for differences between federal and Florida depreciation and expensing.

Georgia

For tax years beginning after 2007, FIB fib  
n.
An insignificant or childish lie.

intr.v. fibbed, fib·bing, fibs
To tell a fib. See Synonyms at lie2.
 1151, Laws 2008, eliminates the requirement that in determining the disallowed interest expenses related to tax-exempt U.S. obligation interest, the direct and indirect income expenses must be determined by multiplying the total interest expense by a fraction, the numerator numerator

the upper part of a fraction.


numerator relationship
see additive genetic relationship.


numerator Epidemiology The upper part of a fraction
 of which is the taxpayer's average adjusted bases of such U.S. obligations and the denominator of which is the average adjusted bases for all the taxpayer's assets.

In another development, a superior court held that a taxpayer treated as a C corporation for Georgia income tax purposes but that elected treatment as an S corporation for federal income tax purposes did not have to recognize the gain from its deemed sale of assets, because the Sec. 338(h)(10) election was not an election made by the corporation but rather by its out-of-state shareholders. (35) Accordingly, the court explained that the taxpayer's Georgia taxable net income must be determined as if the Sec. 338(h)(10) election had not existed.

Illinois

P.A. 95-0233, Laws 2007, added a requirement that interest expense and other expenses incurred by a taxpayer related to earning income exempt from Illinois income tax under a federal statute or constitution had to be netted out of the exempt income Exempt Income

Certain types of income that are not subject to income tax.

Notes:
Examples of exempt income include: gifts under $10,000, death benefits, health benefits, and some scholarships.
See also: Exemption
. SB 783, Laws 2008, completely reverses that requirement to net out related expenses from the subtraction modification.

Kentucky (U.S. Supreme Court)

In a decision that included four concurring opinions and two dissenting opinions, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a Kentucky court of appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky.  decision and held that Kentucky's statutory bond taxation scheme (which taxes the income from sister states' bonds while exempting the interest on Kentucky bonds) does not violate the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause. (36)

Maine

MRS updated its guidance for calculating the modifications to Maine income due to the state's decoupling Decoupling

The occurrence of returns on asset classes diverging from their normal pattern of correlation.

Notes:
Take for example stock and corporate bond returns, which normally rise and fall together.
 from federal tax law changes. (37)

New York

Effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2008, New York has decoupled from the Sec. 199 domestic production activities deduction. (38)

In another development, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance announced that it will apply the Bausch & Lomb decision to all open years. (39) Accordingly, the gain or loss from the sale of stock in a subsidiary will be included in computing entire net income when the subsidiary is included with its parent corporation in a combined Article 9-A report in the year of the sale.

Tennessee

A Tennessee Court of Appeals affirmed that gains from a Sec. 338(h)(10) deemed asset sale as reported on its federal pro forma As a matter of form or for the sake of form. Used to describe accounting, financial, and other statements or conclusions based upon assumed or anticipated facts.

The phrase pro forma
 income tax return were properly included in the sold subsidiary's Tennessee excise tax Excise Tax

1. An indirect tax charged on the sale of a particular good.

2. A penalty tax applied to ineligible transactions in retirement accounts. This penalty is assessed by and paid to the IRS.

Notes:
1.
 base, because Tennessee's law requires conformity to reported federal taxable income. (40) There is no additional requirement that the subsidiary actually have incurred and paid the federal income tax as a prerequisite to imposition of the Tennessee excise tax. Because the disposed property was an integral part of the subsidiary's regular business, the realized gains from the sale constituted business earnings subject to apportionment under the functional test.

Allocable/Apportionable Income

Alabama

An administrative law judge administrative law judge n. a professional hearing officer who works for the government to preside over hearings and appeals involving governmental agencies. They are generally experienced in the particular subject matter of the agency involved or of several agencies.  (ALJ ALJ Administrative Law Judge
ALJ Association for Legal Justice (Northern Ireland) 
) held that a manufacturer's gain from the sale of its stock in an affiliated foreign company was allocable outside Alabama as nonbusiness non·busi·ness  
adj.
1. Unrelated to business or industry.

2. Unrelated to one's own business or employment.
 income because its stock ownership was not operationally related to its business in Alabama and constituted nonbusiness income under both the transactional and functional tests. (41) Applying the factors of functional integration, centralization cen·tral·ize  
v. cen·tral·ized, cen·tral·iz·ing, cen·tral·iz·es

v.tr.
1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate.

2.
 of management, and economies of scale, the ALJ also held that the two companies were not involved in a unitary business despite sharing a common parent and being in the same general line of business.

In another case, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals reversed a circuit court to hold that a paper-related consumer products manufacturer must classify income from the sale of its Alabama-based pulp/paper manufacturing facility and adjacent timberlands as apportionable business income because the sale was performed in the regular course of its business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets  under the transactional test. (42)

Arizona

A unitary affiliate's gain on the sale of stock in a foreign subsidiary constituted apportionable business income under the functional test because the stock was deemed used in the company's business to control the foreign subsidiary so that it would provide a portion of the company's global marketplace. (43)

Illinois

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Illinois appellate court's MeadWestvaco decision, which previously held that the investment by Mead Corporation (the predecessor of MeadWestvaco) in its Lexis Lexis®

An online legal information service that provides the full text of opinions and statutes in electronic format. Subscribers use their personal computers to search the Lexis database for relevant cases. They may download or print the legal information they retrieve.
 business division was of an operational, rather than an investment, nature so income derived from Lexis's sale was characterized as apportionable business income. (44) The Supreme Court explained that the state court erred in considering whether a sold subsidiary served an operational purpose in its parent corporation's businesses because the "operational function" references in Container Corp. (45) and Allied-Signal (46) were not intended to modify the unitary business principle" by adding a new apportionment ground. Rather, the operational function concept merely recognizes that an asset can be a part of a taxpayer's unitary business even without a unitary relationship between the payor and the payee The person who is to receive the stated amount of money on a check, bill, or note.


payee n. the one named on a check or promissory note to receive payment.


PAYEE. The person in whose favor a bill of exchange is made payable.
.

Illinois also argued that the Supreme Court should affirm the appellate court's decision on the alternate ground that the record amply demonstrated that Lexis did substantial business in Illinois and that Lexis's own contacts with the state were enough to justify the apportionment of Mead's capital gain on the sale of Lexis. Explaining that Illinois was asking the Supreme Court to recognize "a new ground for the constitutional apportionment of intangibles based on the taxing State's contacts with the capital asset rather than the taxpayer," the Court declined to rule on the issue, stating that this issue was "neither raised nor passed upon in the state courts." While the lower trial court had found that Lexis was not a unitary part of the company's business, the Illinois Appellate Court The Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for cases arising in the trial courts of the state of Illinois.

The court has 54 judges serving five separate districts.
 never addressed the issue. Thus, the U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case with instructions that the state appellate court could determine whether the taxpayer and the Lexis business constituted a unitary business.

Kansas

Senate Substitute for HB 2434, Laws 2008, added a functional test to the definition of business income.

In another development, the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals held that for corporate income tax purposes, proceeds from an installment sale Installment sale

The sale of an asset in exchange for a specified series of payments (the installments).


installment sale

A sale in which the buyer is scheduled to make a series of payments over a period of time.
 of an oil refinery were nonbusiness income entirely allocable outside Kansas because the sale was an extraordinary event that occurred in response to unusual industry expenses and dire financial circumstances. (47)

Utah

Based upon the parties' settlement agreement and joint motion to vacate To annul, set aside, or render void; to surrender possession or occupancy.

The term vacate has two common usages in the law. With respect to real property, to vacate the premises means to give up possession of the property and leave the area totally devoid of contents.
, the Utah Supreme Court The Utah Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Utah. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice, and three justices.  vacated the district court's opinion in Chambers in chambers adj. referring to discussions or hearings held in the judge's office, called his chambers. It is also called "in camera." (See: in camera)  v. State Tax Commission, (48) which previously held that a Sec. 338(h)(10) fictional asset liquidation The collection of assets belonging to a debtor to be applied to the discharge of his or her outstanding debts.

A type of proceeding pursuant to federal Bankruptcy
 gain should be classified as nonbusihess income allocable to the subsidiary's out-of-state commercial domicile domicile (dŏm`əsīl'), one's legal residence. This may or may not be the place where one actually resides at any one time. The domicile is the permanent home to which one is presumed to have the intention of returning whenever the purpose  under both the transactional and functional tests.

Wisconsin

An out-of-state company that sold its general partnership interest had to apportion ap·por·tion  
tr.v. ap·por·tioned, ap·por·tion·ing, ap·por·tions
To divide and assign according to a plan; allot: "The tendency persists to apportion blame as suits the circumstances" 
 the resulting capital gain to Wisconsin, rather than allocate it entirely outside the state, because the two entities were engaged in a unitary business and the company's investment in the partnership served an operational (not investment) function. (49)

This article is written in general terms and is not intended to be a substitute for specific advice regarding tax, legal, accounting, investment planning, or other matters. While all reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of this article, Deloitte Tax LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol  accepts no responsibility for any errors it may contain, whether caused by negligence or otherwise, or for any losses, however caused, sustained by any person or entity that relies on it.

Editor Notes

Karen Boucher is a partner with Deloitte Tax LLP in Milwaukee, WI, and a member of the AICPA's State & Local Tax Technical Resource Panel. Shona Ponda is a senior manager with Deloitte Tax LLP in Atlanta, GA, Both are members of Deloitte Tax LLP's Washington National Multistate mul·ti·state  
adj.
Of, relating to, or involving several states: a multistate environmental campaign. 
 Tax practice. For more information about this article, contact Ms. Boucher at kboucher@deloitte.com.

By: Karen J. Boucher, CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000.  

Shona Ponda, J.D.

(1) AZ DOR Hearing Officer Decision No. 200700083-C (3/27/08).

(2) Quill Corp. v. North Dakota Quill Corp. v. North Dakota is a Supreme Court of the United States case concerning sales tax. Quill Corporation sells office supplies. North Dakota claimed they owed sales tax since they sold their products in the state.  Tax Comm'r, 504 U.S. 298 (1992).

(3) MBNA MBNA Monument Builders of North America
MBNA Mercedes-Benz North America
MBNA Maryland Bank, National Association
MBNA Maryland Bank North America
MBNA Mount Baker Nurses Association (Bellingham, Washington) 
 Am. Bank, N.A.v. Department of State Rev., 895 N.E.2d 140 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2008).

(4) In re KFC KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken (restaurant chain)
KFC Kenya Flower Council
KFC Kitchen Fresh Chicken (Kentucky Fried Chicken motto)
KFC Kung Fu Cult (Cinema)
KFC Kitchen Fixed Charge
 Corp. v. Department of Rev., No. 07DORFC016 (Iowa Dep't of Inspections and Appeals, Admin. Hearing Div. 8/8/08).

(5) Bridges v. Geoffrey, Inc., 984 So. 2d 115 (La. Ct. App. 2008). The Louisiana Supreme Court The laws of Louisiana and the Supreme Court of Louisiana both have a rich history based in the colonial governments of France and Spain during the early eighteenth century. The current Supreme Court traces its roots back to these beginnings.  denied review of the case in Bridges v. Geoffrey, Inc., 978 So. 2d 370 (La. 2008).

(6) ME Rev. Servs., 18 Maine Tax Alert 2 (February 2008).

(7) The Classics Chicago, Inc., No. 24-C-08-002761 (Md. Cir. Ct. 10/8/08).

(8) Nordstrom, Inc. v. Comptroller, Nos. 07-IN-OO-0317, 07-IN-OO-0318, and 07-IN-OO-0319 (Md. Tax Ct. 10/24/08).

(9) MO DOR Letter Ruling LR 5192 (10/22/08).

(10) Vector Mktg. Corp. v. Department, 942 A.2d 1261 (N.H. 2008).

(11) Lanco, Inc. v. Director, Div. of Tax'n, 908 A.2d 176 (N.J. 2006), cert. denied, S. Ct. Dkt. No. 06-1236 (U.S. 6/18/07).

(12) Praxair Tech., Inc. v. Director, Div. of Tax'n, No. A-6262-06T3 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 12/15/08).

(13) New York State 2008-2009 Budget (S.6807-C/A.9807-C, Laws 2008); New York Tax Law S1451(c)(1).

(14) SC DOR Rev. Rul. No. 08-1 (1111108).

(15) Geoffrey, Inc. v. South Carolina Tax Comm'n, 437 S.E. 2d 13 (S.C. 1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 992 (1993).

(16) VA Tax Comm'r Ruling, Pub. Doc. 08-139 (7130108).

(17) Substitute SB 680, Laws 2008.

(18) Fleet Funding Inc. v. Commissioner of Rev., Nos. C271862-63 (Mass. App. Tax Bd. 2121108).

(19) SB 4173, Laws 2008.

(20) Colgate-Palmolive Co. v. Department of Rev., 988 So. 2d 1212 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2008).

(21) Golden West Fin. Corp. v. Department of Rev., 975 So. 2d 567 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2008).

(22) 86 IL Admin. Code [section]100.2310.

(23) Ch. 539 (LD 2289), Laws 2008.

(24) ME Rev. Servs., Maine Modifications Related to Federal NOLs--Examples (C Corporations) (December 2008).

(25) VT Dep't of Taxes, Technical Bulletin TB-40 (1/7/08, revised 10/7/08).

(26) Ex parte [Latin, On one side only.] Done by, for, or on the application of one party alone.

An ex parte judicial proceeding is conducted for the benefit of only one party.
 VFJ Ventures, Inc. I/Ida VF Jeanswear, Inc., No. 1070718 (Ala. 9/19/08).

(27) IN DOR Ltr. of Finding No. 06-0511 (1130108).

(28) IN DOR Ltr. of Finding No. 07-0062 (2/1/08).

(29) IN DOR Ltr. of Finding No. 07-0131 (2/1/08).

(30) Family Dollar Stores of Ohio, Inc, v. Tax Comm'r, No. 2005-V469 (Ohio Bd. Tax App. 1/4/08).

(31) PacifiCare Health Sys. Inc. u. Department of Rev., No. TC 4762 (Or. Tax Ct. 7/1/08).

(32) Conference Substitute Amendment 1 to AB 1, Laws 2008.

(33) KS DOR Opinion Letter No. 0-2008-004 (9/2/08); MA DOR Directive No. 08-07 (12/18/08); NJ Div. of Tax'n, 37 NJ State Tax News 2 (Summer 2008); WI DOR, News for Tax Practitioners (2/26108).

(34) MN DOR Rev. Notice 08-08 (7/21/08); PA DOR Corporation Tax Bulletin 2008-05 (12/1/08); Va. Pub. Doc. 08-169 (9/11/08).

(35) Trawick Constr. Co. v. Department of Rev., No. 2004CV94454 (Ga. Super Ct., Fulton County
  • Fulton County is the name of a number of counties in the United States of America, most named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat:
 3/4/08).

(36) Department of Rev. of Ky. v. Davis, 553 U.S._, 128 S. Ct. 1801 (2008).

(37) ME Rev. Servs., Bonus Depreciation, Sec. 179 Expense, & Maine Income Tax (December 2008).

(38) New York State 2008-2009 Budget (S.6807-C/A.9807-C, Laws 2008).

(39) NY Dep't of Tax'n and Fin., Technical Service Bureau Memorandum TSB-M-08(3) C (3/10/08), regarding In re Bausch & Lomb, Inc., DTA DTA Drive Through Appraisal
DTA Data (File Name Extension)
DTA Differential Thermal Analysis
DTA Department of Transitional Assistance (Massachusetts)
DTA Development Trusts Association
 819883 (NY Tax App. Trib. 12/20/07).

(40) Newell Window Furnishing, Inc. v. Commissioner of Rev., No. M2007-02176-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. 12/9/08).

(41) Tare & Lyle Ingredients Americas, Inc. v. Department of Rev., No. CORP. 07-162 (Ala. Dept. of Rev., Admin. Law Div. 1/15/08), reh'g denied 6/23/08.

(42) Kimberly Clark Corp. v. Department of Rev., No. 2061117 (Ala. Civ. App. 3/21/08).

(43) AZ DOR Hearing Officer Decision No. 200600091-C (9/8/08).

(44) MeadWestvaco Corp. v. Illinois Dep't of Rev., 553 U.S._, 128 S. Ct. 1498 (2008).

(45) Container Corp. of Am. v. Franchise Tax Bd., 463 U.S. 159 (1983).

(46) Allied-Signal, Inc. v. Director, Div. of Tax'n, 504 U.S. 768 (1992).

(47) In re Frontier Oil Frontier Oil NYSE: FTO, begun in 1949 as Wainoco Oil, is an energy company with its headquarters located in Houston, TX and its subsidiary company, Frontier Refining & Marketing, Inc., located in Denver, CO.  Corp., No. 2006-913-DT (Kan. Bd. Tax App. 3/20/08).

(48) Chambers v. State Tax Comm'n, No. 20070467-SC (Utah 1/25/08), vacating No. 050402915 TX (Utah Dist. Ct. 1/29/07).

(49) Louis Dreyfus Petroleum Prods. Corp. v. Department of Rev., No. 08CV494 (Wis. Cir. Ct. 10F//08).
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Title Annotation:part 1
Author:Boucher, Karen J.; Ponda, Shona
Publication:The Tax Adviser
Date:Mar 1, 2009
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