Tax News

Top Story

Sales Tax Update – March 2025

Michael T Dillon, Dillon Tax Consulting LLC
3/3/2025

North Carolina Clarifies Subscriptions to Access Software vs. Digital Content

In a November 1, 2024 decision, the North Carolina Department of Revenue determined that a subscription to access digital content is taxable, whereas the same subscription to access nontaxable content is not subject to sales tax.  Taxpayer, for a subscription fee, provided users with access to its online learning platform, through which users could access songs, videos, books, printable worksheets, online video games, quizzes and other learning activities.  Users could also access online support via a chat feature.  Experiences can be adapted to be unique for each user, and the ...

read more

Archive

South Carolina's Expansive Treatment of Cloud Computing Services as Taxable Communications

Dillon Tax Consulting
11/24/2014

As states continue to wrestle to define tax policy for the services that comprise the expanding world of cloud computing, South Carolina has again asserted its expansive approach for taxing anything that resembles communications services, including charges for Software As a Service (SAaS) or Platform As a Service (PAaS). [Private Letter Ruling #14-4, South Carolina ...

read more

An Interview with Bloomberg BNA: Will the Internet Tax Freedom Act Prohibit States From Taxing the 'Internet of Things'?

Dillon Tax Consulting
9/10/2014

Telematics services, or the "Internet of Things", require Internet access and Internet related services in order to be provided. The Internet Tax Freedom Act dictates that in most instances, "Internet access" shall be exempt from sales tax. It remains to be seen how states will define telematics and seek to apply existing or new sales ...

read more

Virginia Ignores ITFA and Issues Tax Rulings on Internet Activation and Reactivation Fees

Dillon Tax Consulting
9/10/2014

In two recent rulings, Virginia Ruling of the Commissioner PD 14-130 and 14-131 , the Virginia Commissioner ruled that Internet activation and Internet reactivation fees are not exempt under the Internet Tax Freedom Act. Rather they are subject to Virginia's communications sales tax. In Bloomberg BNA's 9/5 /14 Sales Tax Slice blog posting ...

read more

U.S. Supreme Court Grants Review of Jurisdictional Decision Regarding Colorado Notification Law

Dillon Tax Consulting
7/4/2014

On July 1, 2014, the United States Supreme Court granted the petition for writ of certiorari filed by Petitioner Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in a case involving Colorado’s controversial notification law. [Direct Marketing Association v. Brohl, U.S. Supreme Court, Dkt. 13-1032, petition for certiorari granted July 1, 2014] This case stems from Colorado ...

read more

Seeking What You Need To Hear vs. Seeking What You Want To Hear

Dillon Tax Consulting
6/30/2014

Sometimes my job can be quite difficult. I don’t enjoy telling the client that they have nexus, and/or that they have sales tax exposure in a state that they should address as soon as possible. Trust me, I would much rather share the news with a client that everything they are doing is ...

read more

Maryland High Court Attributes Nexus To Out-of-State Affiliates Due To Lack Of ‘Economic Substance’, Not Based On Unitary Nexus

Dillon Tax Consulting
4/2/2014

On March 24, 2014, Maryland’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, upheld a finding of nexus against two Delaware affiliates of W.L. Gore & Associates, Ltd. (Gore), on the premise that the affiliates lacked any economic substance [ Gore Enterprise Holdings, Inc. v. Comptroller of the Treasury, Md. Ct. App., No 36 (March 24, 2014 ...

read more

Judge Spares Remote Sellers From Colorado Notice Requirements

Dillon Tax Consulting
4/2/2014

On February 18, 2014, a Colorado judge enjoined the Colorado Department of Revenue’s enforcement of the remote seller sales and use tax notification requirements enacted by the Colorado legislature in 2010. [Direct Marketing Association v. Dep't of Revenue et al.; District Court, City and County of Denver, Case No. 13CV34855 (2/18/14 ...

read more