Noonan’s Notes Blog is written by a team of Hodgson Russ tax attorneys led by the blog’s namesake, Tim Noonan. Noonan’s Notes Blog regularly provides analysis of and commentary on developments in the world of New York tax law.

Economic Nexus Extended Too Far – Hodgson Russ LLP v. Minnesota Department of Revenue

Like other entities who received similar letters from Minnesota Revenue, Hodgson was forced to make a difficult decision.  Should we take the admittedly lousy deal Minnesota Revenue was offering (four-year lookback, no penalties) and avoid costly litigation, or should we fight, because we know we’re right and we should win?  We are tired of seeing clients and others bend to the enormous pressure of state taxing authorities, especially when a business decision cost-benefit analysis is the only basis for settlement.  With this in mind, we sued Minnesota Revenue in New York State Supreme Court, seeking different types of relief.

Hodgson and Minnesota Revenue eventually settled, and like many litigated cases neither side admitted the other was right in the closing paperwork.  But given Minnesota Revenue’s agreement that Hodgson need not file for any one of the tax years in issue, and further that it would not pursue any avenue against Hodgson for those tax years, educated people cannot really disagree about who the victor was.  Moreover, Minnesota Revenue stated on the record in New York Supreme Court that it would change its policies in regard to establishing nexus with foreign entities, hopefully saving others from the same fate as Hodgson.  We’re not sure this policy change has happened yet, but to the extent you or your business receives an inquiry or demand from Minnesota or any other jurisdiction with a summary conclusion that nexus exists, you should consider challenging it before rolling over.  Sometimes it makes financial sense, and sometimes it’s just the right thing to do.

Recent Posts

Contributors

Archives

Jump to Page

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage. We access and process information from these cookies at an aggregate level.