State Tax
Tales From the California Tax Controversy Trenches: Navigating FTB Sales Factor Audits
Proper planning can lead to a successful audit— or at least a more tolerable one
One of the California Franchise Tax Board’s1 guiding principles is to “administer the Revenue and Taxation Code . . . and be vigorous in requiring compliance with the law.”2 Our decades-long experience with California tax controversy provides perspective on the FTB’s vigor for compliance. This vigor is never more apparent… Read more »
Why Wayfair Won’t Matter
Supreme Court case raises ‘substantial nexus’ controversy in internet age, capturing attention of tax specialists—and the public
The state tax community is in familiar territory before the Supreme Court of the United States.1 We are in far less familiar territory, however, having captured the attention of nontax professionals, academics, the American public, and even the president of the United States.2 The eyes of the nation are fixed… Read more »
Tax Reform: An Opportunity for State Tax Credit and Incentives
Make sure you don’t leave valuable benefits on the table
On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed the most comprehensive federal tax reform package in three decades.1 Whereas media reports focused mostly on how tax reform would affect businesses and individuals, to tax professionals it quickly became apparent that reform would spur increased state and local tax credits and… Read more »
TEI Interview: Douglas Bramhall
TEI gains insight into the new California Office of Tax Appeals
The California Office of Tax Appeals, made effective in July 2017, was created to provide increased transparency and an expedited appeals process for taxpayers in the state. To get an inside look at how the new agency was doing, we interviewed Douglas Bramhall, one of the administrative law judges who… Read more »
Addressing New Federal Partnership Audit Rules and Reporting of Federal Adjustments to States
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 provides opportunity for greater uniformity
In recent years Tax Executives Institute, Inc. (TEI), has met with various state organizations and revenue departments to encourage standardizing the rules for reporting federal audit adjustments. These efforts have been fruitful but have even greater potential for success with the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA),… Read more »


Intangible Asset Valuation for Tax Purposes Under Fair Market Value and Arm’s-Length Standards Business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, and business reorganizations often…
The New Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax: Five Not-So-Obvious Rule Applications to Consider Editor’s note: This article was written in mid-December 2022. It…
How Remote Workforce Programs Trigger Myriad Tax Problems—Part One Editor’s note: Given the complexity of this topic, this will…
Embracing ESG: Four Ways Tax Departments Can Add Value Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations command a continually growing…
In Memoriam: Eric Lee Johnson The TEI community recently lost an amazing tax professional and…
How Remote Workforce Programs Trigger Myriad Tax Problems—Part Two The coronavirus pandemic created an explosion in remote workforce programs,…