GAO Report: States Remain “Fiscally Strained” Despite U.S. Stimulus $$ Billions

If you needed more proof that states and localities will continue to seek ways to fill budget shortfalls, consider this: Despite the $48 billion in federal stimulus dollars provided in fiscal 2009, “states will continue to be fiscally strained,” according to a 163-page report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office released yesterday. Under an American [...]

Substantial Nexus: Be Careful Where You Land That Airplane

In a 36-page Illinois Appellate Court opinion, “substantial nexus” was found to exist in a use tax case for a corporate aircraft based, hangared, and maintained outside the state, while apportionment of Illinois use tax examined in great detail In an important Commerce Clause (U.S. Const., art. I, §8) case this month in the Illinois [...]

You are what you eat, revisited: a tax on sugary beverages

Last December I mused over the proposed “obesity tax” on sugary drinks in New York, where it seriously feels just short of a crime to be fat, particularly on the island of Manhattan (and more particularly still during Fashion Week). But now it seems the idea has gone national. President Obama, in fact, has gone [...]

Changes coming to Indonesian VAT and sales tax laws

Looking to do business in Indonesia? Wait for April 2010, when VAT and sales tax changes make it a choicer destination. Indonesia’s Parliament made a move today paving the way for a spike in corporate mergers and growth of its Islamic financial markets, decisions that are rightfully attracting much attention from global investors. As of [...]

Economic Recovery? Not According to Sales Tax Receipts

Today marks the one year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and financial news networks large and small are focusing on what, if any, real changes have been instituted on Wall Street and whether our economy, not just our banking system, is on better footing in September 2009. Not if we measure the strength [...]

Unpaid drink taxes could upset delicate bar-to-church ratio in Pittsburgh

One of the first things newcomers to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania observe is that the locals’ claim that there are as many bars as there are churches seems to hold true. Whether strolling through the South Side on E. Carson Street or in any outlying suburb, there really does seem to be a precise 1bar : 1church [...]

The tintinnabulation of gay wedding bells: $$$ for Vermont?

It’s September 1st, 2009. Where are your children? Yes, they may be attending a gay wedding ceremony in Vermont, as today marks its official induction, if you will, into the league of American states that has legalized gay marriage. As the his-and-his and hers-and-hers wedding cake toppers are coming out in full force today, I [...]