The following were originally printed in the Weekly State Tax Report, part of the State Tax Library.

Weekly State Tax Report

Volume 2009 Number 25
Friday, June 19, 2009

Supreme Court's Focus on Polar Tankers' Tonnage Clause Claim Disappoints State Tax Experts

A Valdez, Alaska, ordinance that imposes a personal property tax on large vessels—primarily oil tankers—using private port facilities in the city violates the Tonnage Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court finds in Polar Tankers Inc. v. Valdez, Alaska. The outcome proves to be disappointing, but not surprising, to attorneys who hoped the court would address the apportionment of taxes by states and municipalities, an issue of increasing importance in the state tax realm. More »

Green Truck Grant Program Intended to Drive Colorado Toward New Energy Economy

As part of an ambitious effort to become a global leader in the New Energy Economy, Colorado's Green Truck Grant Program will reimburse qualified recipients 25 percent of the cost of purchasing or installing fuel-efficient technologies, and emission-control devices. According to the state's governor, the program will help drivers save thousands of dollars on fuel and reduce harmful emissions by putting cleaner and more fuel efficient long haul trucks on the road. More »

Nevada Offers Sales, Property Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy Facilities

Nevada enacts legislation allowing businesses a partial abatement of sales and use taxes for renewable energy facilities. To ensure focus on renewable energy initiatives, the legislation excludes facilities producing energy through traditional sources such as coal, natural gas, oil, propane or any other fossil fuel, or by geothermal or nuclear processes. More »

Perspective: California Budget Changes May Pose Complications for Multistate Taxpayers

In the midst of a fiscal crisis, California has enacted successive budget bills that contain a single-sales factor apportionment election, the repeal of the cost-of-performance rule, the reinstatement of Finnigan, and the expansion of rules providing what constitutes “doing business” in the state. In this article, authors George A. Famalett, Madhvi Kapur, and William B. Weatherford, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, discuss these various tax provisions and analyze their potential impact on taxpayers. More »