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Every state recognizes the right of a company's shareholder (or member in the case of a limited liability company) to make a demand of the Board of Directors to initiate litigation that the shareholder believes will benefit the company. If the Board fails or refuses to act, the shareholder has the right to sue derivatively on behalf of the company. While…

The Illinois Constitution was adopted on December 15, 1970. The constitution sets forth the taxing powers of home rule units and describes the exclusive power of the General Assembly to raise revenue. Because the constitution creates the framework for how Illinois’ taxing system functions, this …

The new rule provides that the presence of an out-of-state retailer or its representative in Illinois for the purpose of engaging in trade show activities establishes nexus for the retailer and requires collection of use tax on all sales into Illinois unless three conditions are …

At the close of an audit, in addition to tax and interest, a taxpayer may also be assessed various types of penalties that can be substantial and even surpass the underlying tax liability. However, there are several courses of action for seeking penalty abatement, which …

Like most states, Illinois statutes and regulations permit taxpayers and the Director of the Department of Revenue to obtain alternative apportionment of Illinois base income. Although case law is relatively scant, alternative apportionment remains an important means of reaching a fair income tax liability in …

Financial organizations in Illinois are required to follow different apportionment rules than general service providers. Prior to December 31, 2017, such businesses were also required to file separate unitary business returns from taxpayers that filed their income tax returns under the standard apportionment rules. Beginning …

Everyone is by now likely familiar with the recent Wayfair decision and its central holding. Prior to Wayfair, businesses had some degree of comfort that they would not be required to collect and remit sales or use taxes to states in which those businesses did …

The Commerce Clause and interstate commerce were thrust into the spotlight last week, as the United States Supreme Court reversed the longstanding physical presence standard for sales tax nexus.

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court overturned Quill giving States more authority to collect sales tax. Jordan Goodman shares his initial reactions while reading the decision.

The Second Circuit is the first court of appeals to consider the holding in the United States Supreme Court?s decision in RJR Nabisco Inc. v. European Community, 136 S. Ct. 2090 (2016), which said that Section 1964 (c) of RICO does not apply extraterritorially for …

As we have discussed previously, Illinois localities have adopted a variety of unique taxes, such as the Chicago Personal Property Lease Transaction Tax, the Amusement Tax, and dozens more. Illinois localities may also impose a local option tax which is imposed in addition to the …

Wayfair, Quill, Sales tax nexus, remote seller. Illinois adopted a South Dakota remote seller nexus rule effective October 1, 2018.

In calculating the Illinois sales factor, Illinois employs both a “throw-back” and “throwout” rule. While many states employ some form of throw-back rule, Illinois’ adoption of both a throw-back and throwout rule is unique.

Illinois? treatment of leases is an anomaly when compared to almost all other jurisdictions. While most jurisdictions impose sales tax on the lease receipts collected from the lessee, the user of the equipment, Illinois differs by treating the lessor as the user of the equipment. …

Determining whether computer software is taxable is no easy task, especially in light of the changing technological landscape. The Illinois Department of Revenue (“Department”) has been asked by taxpayers for a number of years to provide clarification, but until recently has been largely silent on …

In a previous post, we addressed the basics for calculating Illinois base income. In this post, we will focus on Illinois’ general apportionment rules, and in later posts, we will discuss Illinois’ combined reporting rules and the specific treatment of insurance companies and financial organizations …

Alabama, Connecticut and Texas are offering tax amnesty programs that have some huge benefits.

Although businesses entering a new jurisdiction are often primed to handle local sales and use taxes, even sophisticated taxpayers can be unprepared for the myriad of unfamiliar local taxes waiting to greet them when beginning to transact business in Chicago.

Now that we have provided a primer on procedural issues at Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County, it’s time to jump into the fun stuff! Illinois has a relatively high corporate income tax rate compared to most states. While calculating Illinois base income is generally straightforward, …

A recent national trend in the practice field of state and local tax has been the uptick in local jurisdictions’ audit activity. The Cook County Department of Revenue has taken aggressive positions in the interpretation of its tax ordinances which has led to increased litigation …

Although not on the mind of most taxpayers, an audit by the City of Chicago Department of Finance (“Department”) is a risk for any taxpayer who may be operating in the City or who enters Chicago for any business purpose. With a variety of unusual …

There’s no way around it: Illinois is a complicated state in which to do business. This post is the first in a series that will address how to navigate even the most byzantine aspects of Illinois’s tax structure. More specifically, this post will address the …

Your client has a judgment or arbitral award and becomes aware of an unrelated contract where the judgment debtor is to be paid through letters of credit issued by a bank branch in the UK. Can you use that as a source of recovery? Judgment …

Three years ago, Illinoisans cheered the changes to the motor vehicle leasing law that were to lead to tax savings for lessees and level the playing field with other state’s leasing laws. Now, as the first wave of three-year leases comes to an end, lessors …

The U.S. Supreme Court granted South Dakota’s certiorari petition in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. et al., No. 17-494 and scheduled oral arguments for April 17, 2018. Illinois now proposes to enter the fray with the Marketplace Fairness Act.