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 in … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 of the … Continue Reading
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 new Revenue … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
UPDATE: On October 17, 2017, the Department filed a notice formally withdrawing this proposed amendment to the contractor’s tax regulation. No explanation was given for the withdrawal, and we will monitor future filings in the event a new amendment proposal is made. The Mississippi Department of Revenue’s recent flurry of regulatory activity continues unabated with … Continue Reading
Jones Walker LLP and the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region recently hosted a discussion on federal tax reform and its potential impact on businesses and individuals. The discussion was led by Derek Theurer, Tax Counsel to U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. Sen. Cassidy serves on the Senate Finance Committee and will … Continue Reading
The Louisiana Legislature’s 2017 Regular Session has now concluded, and as previously reported, numerous tax measures were proposed. Ultimately, however, much of the proposed legislation addressing long-term tax reform was largely rejected by the Legislature during the Regular Session, leaving questions currently unanswered as to how the state will ultimately address the long-term issue of … Continue Reading
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant announced Tuesday afternoon on Facebook that he would call a special session of the Mississippi Legislature to begin June 5. The 2017 regular session ended earlier this year without having approved 2018 fiscal year budgets for the Department of Transportation or the Attorney General’s office, and the special session is intended … Continue Reading
The hotly contested new Commercial Activity Tax (“CAT”) proposal in Louisiana – H.B. 628 – may now have officially run out of lives. After hours of debate over two days of hearings in the Louisiana House Ways & Means Committee, Governor Edwards’ (D) proposed CAT was voluntarily deferred by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sam Jones. … Continue Reading
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards’ (D) administration has now filed its bill proposing to create a new Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) in Louisiana. A full copy of the filed original bill, HB 628 (authored by Representative Sam Jones), can be found here. According to the Governor’s previously released 2017 Budget Stabilization Plan, the proposed new … Continue Reading
Standing on the edge of a $1.3 billion fiscal cliff, Governor John Bel Edwards (D‑La.) announced his 2017 Budget Stabilization Plan, which he intends to pursue during the 2017 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature beginning on April 10, 2017. The Plan notes that Louisiana is operating under a broken, outdated system, “that just simply does … Continue Reading
John Fletcher and Matt Mantle were quoted in the Law360 article, “Taxing Remote Vendors Politically Safer Than Tax Hikes.” John cautioned that any ruling in favor of state revenue departments regulating remote retailers has implications beyond the tax area saying, “If under the due process clause, they can get somebody out of state and turn … Continue Reading
Louisiana is at it again! Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Revenue are now seriously discussing and considering the recommendation of legislation to create a new gross receipts tax in Louisiana. The Governor’s administration will likely be presenting this gross receipts tax option to the Louisiana Legislature as part of the … Continue Reading
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday released a statement that H.B. 480 would not be acted on in the Senate, effectively killing the bill by not advancing it out of the Finance Committee by a February 28 legislative deadline. As previously reported, H.B. 480 would have required remote sellers with over $250,000 of sales … Continue Reading
Remote use tax collection legislation advances. A Mississippi bill to require use tax collection by remote sellers passed the House of Representatives and was transmitted to the Senate on February 7. The bill, H.B. 480, would require out-of-state sellers lacking a physical presence in Mississippi to register and begin collecting use tax if their prior-year … Continue Reading
Matt Mantle, a partner on the firm’s State & Local Tax Team in the New Orleans office, was recently quoted in a Tax Notes article about Louisiana’s budget shortfalls and the special legislative session. The article, “Louisiana Special Session Will Focus on Spending Cuts to Close Budget Hole” Matt comments, The governor has said he … Continue Reading
It’s official. Louisiana Governor Jon Bel Edwards has now released his Call for a special legislative session to begin February 13th at 6:30 PM and conclude February 22nd at midnight. The Call, released today, February 3, 2017, is intended to allow the Louisiana Legislature to plug a $304 million budget hole in the state’s FY … Continue Reading
On February 1, 2017, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) delivered a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in which he reaffirmed that Republicans are committed to reforming the current tax system. Chairman Hatch noted that there is now an “administration that wants to work with Congress to fix the … problems in … Continue Reading
(Bill Backstrom, Jones Walker LLP State & Local Tax Partner and Kimberly Lewis Robinson, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue) Jones Walker LLP and the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region would like to thank Kimberly Lewis Robinson, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue and Co-Chair, HCR 11 Task … Continue Reading
Today, January 27, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that he intends to issue a call to bring the Louisiana Legislature into a 10-day special session beginning February 13 and ending February 23. The special session will address a FY 2017 budget deficit estimated to be in excess of $300 million. The Governor has explained … Continue Reading
What is a realistic time frame for tax reform to be considered by Congress, and will the public have a chance to comment on tax reform bills as they make their way through Congress? Comprehensive tax reform is a complex process and will take time and political capital for enactment into law. The House Ways … Continue Reading
Companion House and Senate bills and proposed new regulation would implement $250,000 “substantial economic presence” standard. Two bills have been introduced in the Mississippi Legislature to enact factor presence nexus standards to require certain foreign sellers to collect and remit Mississippi use tax. House Bill 480 and Senate Bill 2456, clearly aimed at internet sellers, … Continue Reading
