Hot off the Press: New NY Tax Proposals in 2020 Budget

On January 15^th, Governor Cuomo released the FY 2020 Executive Budget, which is available here. The highlights of certain proposed revenue provisions are summarized below. Keep an eye out for further updates in mid-February when the “thirty-day amendments” to the Executive Budget will be out.

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New York Finally Issues Guidance on Sales Tax Economic Nexus

New York is one of the most, if not the most, aggressive states when it comes to tax enforcement.  That’s why it was a bit confusing when the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (the “Tax Department”) remained uncharacteristically silent following the landmark Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair.  But that’s finally changed!  On January 15, 2019, the Tax Department issued a Notice explaining its position on economic nexus for sales tax purposes.  In this article, we’ll (1) provide a brief review of how the Wayfair case changed tax administration, (2) discuss New York’s new guidance, and (3) address some of the potential issues that are likely to arise as a result of this new guidance. 

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NY Tax Minutes: December Review and 2019 Preview

This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.

It’s a new year here at “NY Tax Minutes,” but don’t worry, we’re still delivering all the month’s New York City and state tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast. But as we close the books on 2018 and look ahead to another year of tax updates, we’re adding a new wrinkle to this month’s column. We’re pulling out our crystal balls and predicting whether the news that brought 2018 to a close will continue into the New Year or whether we can turn the clock on these issues.

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Recent Passthrough Entity Tax Credits and Other SALT Workarounds

As the calendar flipped to 2019, we’ve seen continued activity in states looking to find some way to combat the loss of SALT deduction to “help” its in-state taxpayers. The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (“TCJA”) (P.L. 115-97) capped the individual state and local tax deduction at $10,000 per year beginning January 1, 2018, making it even harder for folks in high-tax states to stomach the payment of state and local taxes. To alleviate this burden, various states have offered up a myriad of “workarounds” usually in form of charitable contributions or new taxes designed to shift the tax burden from individuals (whose SALT deductions are capped) to businesses (which face no such cap). As we move into a New Year, let’s examine some of the recent developments.

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Decoupling in New York Explained: New York Issues More Post TCJA Guidance

This promises to be the most “exciting” tax season ever for your friendly neighborhood accountants! It makes me a little relieved that I declined to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather (both CPAs) and turned to the legal world instead! With so many changes in the federal tax law, it’s going to be tough for accountants (and software companies) to keep up. And because most states’ tax laws are based on federal law or use federal tax rules as a starting point, so many of these federal changes will flow-through to state tax returns as well.

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