John Fletcher

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Mississippi Comprehensively Overhauls Its Sales Taxation of Oil and Gas Activities Effective July 1

A recent bill comprehensively overhauled how Mississippi applies its sales tax to oil and gas activities and related equipment. The Department of Revenue recently issued a notice explaining the changes and the newly adopted rates. Effective July 1, 2024, the 3.5% Mississippi contractor’s tax no longer applies to drilling, redrilling, completing, or working over an oil or … Continue Reading

Equifax Rises from Its Grave; Will the Mississippi Supreme Court Finally Bury this Procedural Monster for Good?

Mississippi Taxpayers should keep a very close eye on the Toolpushers Supply sales tax case just granted certiorari by the Mississippi Supreme Court.  This case addresses important sales tax issues related to wholesale sales and the extent to which a seller must audit its purchaser’s downstream use of the goods on purported resale transactions.  More … Continue Reading

Mississippi’s New Software Direct Pay Permit Now Available Online

Mississippi’s new direct pay permit for purchases of computer software and computer software services is now available on the Department of Revenue’s website.  The Mississippi Legislature authorized this new permit earlier this year as part of the state’s comprehensive legislation on the taxation of remote software and services (see prior coverage here), which went into … Continue Reading

Mississippi’s New Comprehensive Software Sales Tax Laws – What You Need to Know

The Mississippi Legislature recently enacted SB 2449 (effective July 1, 2023) to address longstanding issues related to how the state taxes remote software and computer services.  What began in 2021 with an effort by the Mississippi Department of Revenue to update and modernize its sales tax regulations (albeit with a significant expansion of the tax … Continue Reading

Mississippi Moves Forward with Remote Software Sales Tax Legislation

The Mississippi House of Representatives yesterday amended S.B. 2449 to adopt comprehensive provisions regarding the sales and use taxation of remote software and related services.  This amendment codifies the Department of Revenue’s existing regulation that “computer software maintained on a server located outside the state and accessible for use only via the Internet is not … Continue Reading

Mississippi Legislature Takes Up Pass-Through Entity Election Technical Corrections Bill

The Mississippi Legislature has taken up two bills this session [HB 1668 / SB 3102] intended to correct several technical issues contained in last-year’s pass-through entity (“PTE”) election legislation.  See our prior coverage of the original PTE legislation here and here, as well as concerns about estimate payment penalties here.  As of this date, both … Continue Reading

Addendum – Estimated Tax Payments: Mississippi Follows the National Pass-Through Entity Tax Election Trend — Start Now to Make a 2022 Tax Election

Addendum – Estimated Tax Payments:  Just after our article went to press, we received some informal guidance from the DOR regarding estimated tax payments that presents a bit of a conundrum for those considering the PTE election.  As explained below, it may be necessary to make duplicate estimated payments at both the entity and partner/member … Continue Reading

Mississippi Follows the National Pass-Through Entity Tax Election Trend — Start Now to Make a 2022 Tax Election

This year, a number of state legislatures considered and passed legislation that creates a pass-through entity (PTE) tax as a workaround to the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax (SALT) itemized deduction. Nearly 30 states have enacted a PTE tax. Mississippi is one of the more recent states to join the ranks. Beginning … Continue Reading

John Fletcher Addresses Graduates at Delta State’s 95th Commencement Ceremony

I was honored as the President of the Delta State University Alumni Association to address the new graduates at Delta State’s 95th Commencement Ceremony last Friday. Pictured with me are DSU President William LaForge and the keynote speaker, alumnus Walt Bettinger II, CEO of The Charles Schwab Corporation.  Not pictured but also on stage was … Continue Reading

Mississippi Enacts Pass-Through Entity Income Tax Election/ SALT Cap Workaround

Mississippi recently passed a SALT cap workaround in the form of a flow-through entity election. Consistent with the roughly 26 other states having adopted similar schemes, the Mississippi bill presents several grey areas and questions that will need to be addressed through Department of Revenue guidance or possible technical corrections. H.B. 1691, signed into law … Continue Reading

Mississippi House Revisits Income Tax Phase-Out for 2022

Today the Mississippi House of Representatives filed and passed out of the Ways and Means Committee H.B. 531 which appears to represent the House leadership’s income tax elimination proposal for the 2022 session.  The bill, which is 294 pages long, appears to have the following primary features: Quantifies the amounts by which actual fiscal year … Continue Reading

Questions Submitted for Hearing on Mississippi Software Sales Tax Regulation

In anticipation of the upcoming public hearing on Mississippi’s proposed amendments to its sales tax regulation on Computer Equipment, Software and Services, Jones Walker recently submitted a letter to the Mississippi Department of Revenue summarizing a wide range of questions and issues raised by the proposal.  These questions were compiled as a result of discussions … Continue Reading

UPDATE: Mississippi Attempts to Significantly Increase Sales and Use Taxes on Internet-Based Business Services Via Regulatory Amendment

UPDATE:  In response to widespread interest in these changes, the Mississippi Department of Revenue this afternoon scheduled a public hearing on the proposed amendments.  The hearing is set for Wednesday, November 3 at 1:30. Interested parties are encouraged to identify specific questions and issues to present to the Department at the hearing. Jones Walker is … Continue Reading

Mississippi Attempts to Significantly Increase Sales and Use Taxes on Internet-Based Business Services Via Regulatory Amendment

On September 24, the Mississippi Department of Revenue filed a proposed amendment to its sales tax regulation on Computer Equipment, Software and Services.  This amendment appears to reverse longstanding sales and use tax policy with respect to remote internet-based computer services, and could result in a significant non-legislative tax increase on Mississippi businesses.  The notice … Continue Reading

How to Accidentally Renege on Tax Incentives Agreements – the Consequences of Mississippi Income Tax Repeal

Mississippi’s proposal to repeal the state’s individual income tax portends to surreptitiously renege on many of the state’s existing tax incentives agreements.  One of Mississippi’s more valuable economic development tools is the Advantage Jobs Program providing a cash rebate to certain businesses that create high-paying new jobs in the state.  The rebate is based on … Continue Reading

Mississippi House Passes Massive Sales Tax Increase on Business Inputs

Within a 24 hour period, the Mississippi House of Representatives introduced and passed a bill to repeal the individual income tax, but at a cost of massive increases in sales taxes imposed on business inputs.  H.B. 1439 would phase out the individual income tax by gradually increasing the personal exemption over an undefined period of … Continue Reading

Mississippi House bill would extend contractors tax to residential construction; Senate bill will require all contractors to register with DOR to obtain local building permit

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed HB 1142 to extend the state’s 3.5% contractor’s tax to residential construction and to require builders to obtain a material purchase certificate (“MPC”) in order to pull a local building permit. Under current law, the contractor’s tax only applies to commercial construction, and the ordinary 7% sales tax applies … Continue Reading

Mississippi House advances offer in compromise legislation

For several years Mississippi has attempted to pass legislation to authorize offers in compromise allowing taxpayers to pay less than the full amount of finally determined taxes due by them. The Mississippi Constitution prohibits any release or extinguishment of any obligation or liability to the state, except for the compromise of certain doubtful claims. On … Continue Reading

Mississippi House, Senate move to eliminate June 25 advanced sales, use and payroll tax payments

Years ago the Mississippi Legislature “borrowed” certain sales, use and payroll tax collections from a subsequent fiscal year to close a then-current year budget gap.  Because Mississippi has a June 30 fiscal year end, the legislation required certain taxpayers having a monthly tax liability of $50,000 or more to accelerate 75% of their June tax … Continue Reading

Mississippi Should Follow New Federal Treatment of PPP Deductions

When Congress recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, it explicitly reversed the IRS’s earlier position that expenses paid with non-taxable forgiven PPP loan proceeds could not be deducted.  As a result of this legislation, the IRS recently issued Revenue Ruling 2021-2 confirming that the act reversed its prior guidance in Notice 2020-32 and Rev. … Continue Reading
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