State and Local Taxation

On January 22, 2010, President Obama signed a law which allows taxpayers to claim a charitable deduction in the 2009 tax year for cash donations made through March 1, 2010 for the relief of victims in areas affected by the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The IRS notice on this new law indicates that

During the past few years, the Louisiana Legislature has adopted many “green” initiatives as part of climate and energy policies. The state has placed a strong emphasis on increasing both renewable energy generation and energy efficiency. The following is a list of some of these important initiatives:

  • The Louisiana Renewable Energy Development Act allows Grid Tied Net Metering systems throughout the state, which allows electric utility customers, who wish to install a net metering facility, to reduce their monthly electricity bill by using electricity that is generated from solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, or biomass resources. See La. R.S. 51:3061-51:3063 (2003).

Continue Reading State of the State: Louisiana Government Active in Green Initiatives

On July 7, 2009, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed Act 442 (SB 9) into law, preserving Louisiana’s long-standing law excluding purchases, rentals and repairs of component parts of immovable property from state and local sales/use tax. Under a law enacted in 2008, purchases of several items previously considered non-taxable component parts of buildings and other immovables (e.g., installed commercial refrigerators and other commercial and industrial fixtures) could have been subjected to state and local sales/use tax. Many taxpayer representatives questioned the constitutionality of the 2008 Act and legislators agreed that it was not their intention to increase sales/use taxes during the 2008 Legislative Session. Act 442 became effective when it was signed by the governor and applies retroactively to all transactions occurring after the July 1, 2008 effective date of the 2008 Act.
Continue Reading Definition of Component Parts Clarified for Louisiana Sales and Use Tax Purposes

Owners of exempt property may be hurt by a recent Louisiana law change. Historically, the owners of tax exempt property did not have to confirm that the exemption was being respected by the Assessor by checking the tax rolls during the public inspection period. The owner of exempt property could challenge a tax bill by waiting to receive his tax bill, paying the bill under protest, and then filing a lawsuit in district court. This procedure used to be in La. R.S. 47:2110. As the result of a major rewrite of the Louisiana law on tax sales, La. R.S. 47:2110 was renumbered La. R.S. 47:2134.
Continue Reading Law Change Could Hurt Owners of Tax Exempt Properties

This is the first of a three-part series related to Louisiana law and regulations pertaining to the accounting profession. This part focuses on the historical licensing and regulation of the profession by the State of Louisiana.

The Louisiana statutes and regulations governing accountants have become much more sophisticated and comprehensive through the years. In the early 1900s the State’s emphasis was on the qualifications and admission to the practice of public accounting. This continues to be a focus of the state¹s efforts; however, like other learned professions, the Louisiana legislature has adopted additional provisions recognizing the inevitable fact of life that: “Professions once seemingly inviolate from litigation are no longer sacrosanct. The age old axiom that physicians bury their mistakes, while attorneys and accountants file theirs away, has little relevance in modern day America.”

The purpose of this article is to provide an analysis of Louisiana statutes, regulations and jurisprudence regarding the accounting profession, as accountants, like others who practice skilled professions, are now full members of the “Krewe of Defendants” in the Louisiana litigation parade. The article does not include an analysis of other state or federal jurisdictions, regulatory bodies or professional standards and requirements.Continue Reading Regulation and Liability of Accountants Pursuant to Louisiana Law

Historically, the IRS has said that a disregarded entity could (and maybe should) use the owner’s taxpayer identification number for income and other tax purposes. For employment tax reporting, the IRS issued Notice 99-6, 1999-1 CB 321 , which said that employment taxes for employees of a disregarded entity could be reported by a disregarded entity in one of two ways:

(1) Calculation, reporting, and payment of all employment tax obligations with respect to employees of a disregarded entity by its owner (as though the employees of the disregarded entity are employed directly by the owner) and under the owner’s name and taxpayer identification number; or

(2) Separate calculation, reporting, and payment of all employment tax obligations by each state law entity with respect to its employees under its own name and taxpayer identification number.Continue Reading IRS Requires Employer Identification Numbers for Disregarded Entities Beginning in 2009

Local governments in Louisiana are authorized to impose annual ad valorem property taxes on immovable and corporeal movable property. La. Const. of 1974 art. 6, §§ 26, 27 & 30. Property owners are required to file annual renditions prior to April 1 of each year. La. R.S. 47:2324. Locally elected assessors annually determine the fair market value and assessed value of property based upon the status and condition of taxable property on January 1 of each tax year and are responsible for listing the assessments on the official assessment lists. La. R.S. 47:1952. The assessment lists are open for public inspection during a fifteen day period determined by the assessor. Generally, the fifteen day period must fall between August 15 and September 15 of each year. La. R.S. 47:1992(G). During the fifteen day period, taxpayers may confirm their assessments and discuss changes to the assessments with the assessor. La. R.S. 47:1992(A)(2). Within three days after the end of the public inspection period, the assessors must certify the assessments lists to the local boards of review, which consist of the parish governing authorities. Appeals to the boards of review must be filed with the boards of review no later than seven days prior to the board of review hearings. La. R.S. 47:1992(C). That is, the taxpayer must confirm the dates of the board of review hearings by checking for publication of the appeal dates in the official journal of the parish and making sure that any appeal is filed with the board of review no later than seven days prior to the board of review hearing. The board of review is authorized to increase or decrease the assessment in accordance with the fair market or use valuation determined by the board. La. R.S. 47:1992(C).
Continue Reading Louisiana Property Tax Assessment Review Procedures Arcane

Property taxes in Louisiana are based on the fair market value of taxable property. The assessors make the fair market value determination based upon the status and condition of property as of January 1 of each tax year. Certain types of immovable property are generally revalued every four years; however if market conditions suggest changes in fair market value, adjustments can be made during the four year cycle. Most equipment and personal property is valued annually. La. R.S. 47:1978 and La. R.S. 47:1978.1 provide relief provisions for property owners that sustain damage after January 1 due to flooding or a natural disaster.
Continue Reading Property Owners with Hurricane Gustav Damage Entitled to Reduced Property Tax Assessments

On May 22, 2007 the Department of Revenue issued a long-awaited Revenue Ruling detailing its position regarding the case of Word of Life Christian Center v. West, 936 So.2d 1226, 2004-1484 (La. Sup. Ct. 4/17/06). In Word of Life, the Supreme Court determined that two airplanes which were purchased out of state for use in interstate commerce were nevertheless subject to Louisiana use tax as they had become part of the mass of property of the state. The impact of this decision, however, is not limited to airplanes. Many companies purchase various items outside the territorial limits of Louisiana and thereafter import them into the state for use interstate commerce operations.
Continue Reading Getting the “Word” Out – The Department of Revenue Issues Revenue Ruling 07-002 in response to Word of Life Christian Center v. West, 936 So.2d 1226, 2004-1484 (La. Sup. Ct. 4/17/06)

In International Paper, Inc. vs. Cynthia Bridges, 42, 023 (La. App. 2nd Cir. 4/4/07), 2007 WL 983965 (not designated for publication), the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Second Circuit, reinterpreted the “further processing” provision of the Louisiana sales tax law. Under the further processing provision, tangible personal property purchased for further processing into tangible personal property for sale at retail is not subject to Louisiana sales/use tax. La. R.S. 47:301(10)(c)(i)(aa). Historically, Louisiana law had applied a three part test to the identification of a nontaxable further processing material: (1) The further processing material must be a benefit to the end product; (2) The further processing material must be a recognizable and identifiable component of the end product, and (3) A purpose for purchasing the further processing material must have been for processing into the end product.
Continue Reading Sales Tax Exclusion For Further Processing Materials Under Attack