John Fletcher, a partner on the State and Local Tax team, conducted two joint presentations with officials with the Mississippi Department of Revenue at the Mississippi Tax Institute on December 7, 2017 in Jackson, Mississippi. John’s sessions updated attendees in the areas of multi-state taxation of pass-through entities, potential Mississippi consequences of the
2017
Louisiana Governor Provides Draft of 2018 Tax & Budget Priorities to Address Looming Fiscal Cliff and Long-Term Tax Reform
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) recently met with leaders from the Louisiana Legislature to discuss his draft 2018 Tax & Budget Priorities, including recommendations for how the State should address the long-term issue of its current taxing and spending structure, as well as the short-term issue of the $1 billion “fiscal cliff” looming…
House and Senate Release Final Tax Reform Bill

On December 15, the House and Senate conference committee released a conference report that reconciled the differences in each chamber’s tax reform bills. Both the House and Senate are expected to vote on the reconciled bill this week. Both have indicated that they have the necessary votes to pass the bill and the President has…
Mississippi Files Final Remote Seller Use Tax Regulation
“Substantial economic presence” nexus standard formally embodied in regulation.
As expected after recently having filed an economic impact statement, the Mississippi Department of Revenue on November 1 filed its final remote seller use tax regulation with the Secretary of State. The new regulation will be effective December 1, 2017, and contains numerous changes from the…
Louisiana Voters Pass Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for Construction Projects

On October 21, 2017, Louisiana voters resoundingly voted in favor of a Constitutional Amendment to the Louisiana Constitution (Act 428 of the 2017 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature). The Amendment clarifies a long standing practice that construction materials delivered to a construction site are exempt from ad valorem tax during the pendency…
Tax Clearance Now Required for Louisiana State Sales Tax Resale Certificates and Approval of Certain State Procurement Contracts
The Louisiana Department of Revenue has now issued formal guidance regarding the new requirement that taxpayers receive a Louisiana state tax clearance in order to obtain: (i) a new or renew an existing Louisiana state sales tax resale certificates; and (ii) approval of certain Louisiana state procurement contracts.
Specifically, the Department has issued the following…
Mississippi Takes Next Step Toward Finalizing Remote Use Tax Collection Regulation
Files Questionable Economic Impact Statement with Secretary of State
On Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Revenue filed an economic impact statement with the Secretary of State addressing its proposed regulation adopting use tax economic nexus standards and remote seller collection obligations. Readers may recall the Department issued the proposed regulation in January and held a…
Downstream Consequences Coming Into Focus A Year After Mississippi’s AT&T Dividend Decision
In October 2016, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Mississippi Department of Revenue v. AT&T Corporation, concluding the state’s dividend exclusion statute violated the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. The statute, Miss. Code Ann. Section 27-7-15(4)(i), unconstitutionally discriminated against interstate commerce by excluding from Mississippi gross income any dividends…
Louisiana and Other States Provide Tax Relief for Hurricane Victims
In response to the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, parts of the United States have been declared as major disaster areas by the federal government. As a result, numerous states have enacted delayed filing and payment periods for individuals and businesses located in these major disaster areas. Louisiana has joined this growing list with…
Mississippi Authorizes Contingent-Fee Tax Head Hunters
Department of Revenue Now Authorized to Hire Auditors and Expert Witnesses on Contingency Fees
$1,000,000 Appropriation to Fund Contingency Contracts
RFPs Quickly Issued for Transfer Pricing Audits and Underreported Cash Sales
The Mississippi Legislature recently authorized the Department of Revenue to hire third party tax auditors and expert witnesses and to pay them contingency fees…