While politics is undoubtedly getting more and more unusual these days, dysfunction in Washington is not in short supply. Divided government has never really looked, well, more divided. To that end, we saw a multi-ballot marathon to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA.) as Speaker of the House earlier this year only to have him ousted […]

Digital advertisers’ frustrations over the legally dubious Maryland digital advertising tax are mounting. Last month, numerous covered companies received notices from the Maryland Comptroller’s office denying their 2022 digital advertising gross revenue tax refund claims. These notices, dated on or around October 11, 2023 and sent via certified mail a few days after, argue that […]

On May 9, 2023,  the Maryland Supreme Court reversed a ruling by the Anne Arundel Circuit Court that Maryland’s tax on digital advertising was unconstitutional, saying the court lacked jurisdiction over the case. In an order, Chief Justice Matthew Fader punted the case back to the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court and ordered it to […]

To help agencies keep a pulse on all that is happening in the complex federal, state and local, and international tax policy landscape, the 4A’s brings you a rundown on key tax areas to watch in preparation for the 2023 tax season. Areas covered in this written update include the latest legal happenings on nexus […]

On January 23, the Maryland Supreme Court granted direct appeal of a trial court’s ruling that struck down the state’s first-of-its-kind tax on digital advertising in a suit brought by Comcast and Verizon. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman asked the high court to review an October bench ruling by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Alison […]

In a December 27 announcement, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2023-7, which provides interim guidance for the application of the new corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) until the issuance of proposed regulations. The CAMT may impact some larger agencies with average annual financial statement income exceeding $1 billion. Foreign-parent […]

With 2022 almost coming to a close, the end-of-year chaos and impacts of procrastination that routinely affect Congress and the Administration this time of year are in full swing. The details are still scant on what is included in Congress’ announced FY 2023 $1.7 trillion spending bill deal. The results of the 2022 Midterm Elections […]

While political strategists forecasted a Red Wave sweeping across the country, as historically the President’s party usually suffers big losses, voters in the 2022 midterm elections delivered a different message. As anticipated, Democrats lost control of the House, but not by as wide of a margin as projected. The election showed that candidate quality matters, […]

On October 17, Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Alison L. Asti struck down Maryland’s tax on digital advertising. Verizon Media Inc. and Comcast challenged the law in the state’s court, via Comcast of California/Maryland/Pennsylvania/Virginia/West Virginia LLC et al. v. Comptroller of the Treasury of Maryland, No. C-02-CV-21-000509.  The judge’s ruling cited that the controversial […]

On August 19, Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA) introduced legislation, the End Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Advertising Act (H.R. 8737),  that would end federal tax deductions for advertising oil and gas.  If enacted, it would be effective starting the first taxable year after the date of the enactment.  Advertising is a traditional business expense and most […]

While summer might be winding down for most, the Biden Administration’s legislative and regulatory agenda is clearly starting to heat up. Maybe it’s rising pressure from the upcoming 2022 midterm elections or perhaps more permanent staffing and leadership at the helm of federal agencies, but there’s a lot moving, and a lot moving fast. This […]

On August 16, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, an approximately $730 billion health care, tax and climate bill that represents a sizable portion of the Democrats’ domestic policy agenda. The bill uses incentives for private companies to produce more renewable energy and for households to transform their energy use […]