Alston & Bird Tax Blog

Alston & Bird Tax Team

About Alston & Bird Tax Team

Our 80-plus tax attorneys comprise one of the largest law-firm-based tax practices in the country. Our tax clients include both long-standing firm clients and clients who choose Alston & Bird solely to do their tax work.

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Supreme Court–Appointed Special Master Applies Place-of-Purchase Jurisdictional Rule to MoneyGram’s Unclaimed “Official Checks”

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Our Unclaimed Property Team reviews the report of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Special Master parsing the definitions of “money orders” and “similar instruments” and how those words decide if certain unclaimed property falls under federal common law or the federal Disposition of Abandoned Money Orders and Traveler’s Checks Act. The report is a master class in statutory constructionThe Special Master analyzed MoneyGram “official checks” to determine those meet three statutory conditions for an instrument to constitute a “similar instrument”This analytical framework may have broader [...]Read more

Bracing for the Next Wave of Delaware Unclaimed Property Reform: Review of SB 103 and SB 104

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Our Unclaimed Property Team examines a pair of fast-tracked Delaware bills that would reform a swath of the state’s escheat laws in response to ongoing litigation and other disputes over audits and voluntary disclosure agreements. Defining, reporting, and liquidating virtual currencyAdopting a permanent expedited audit programRescheduling statutes of limitation, audit periods, and dormancy periods Read the full advisory here. [...]Read more

New York’s FY 2022 Budget Bill Crosses Finish Line

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New York State’s budget bill is on the governor’s desk. Our State & Local Tax Group provides the most significant highlights for you and your business. Higher tax rates for the wealthy, lower tax rates for the middle classCorporations will see higher tax rates and a reinstated capital baseElective pass-through entity tax enactedSeveral tax credits were created, renewed, or extended Click here to read the full advisory. [...]Read more

Top Unclaimed Property Regulatory and Enforcement Challenges in 2021

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State governments’ quest for revenue in the wake of the pandemic will only heighten their focus on unclaimed property. Our Unclaimed Property Team highlights the consumer protection and privacy risks facing companies when states use third-party auditors to obtain information on accounts with small balances. The top 6 challenges facing holdersHow these issues can affect your bottom lineSteps the C-suite can take to prepare Read the full advisory here. [...]Read more

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again to Enact the Nation’s First Digital Advertising Services Tax

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Maryland has enacted a tax on revenues derived from digital advertising services, effective this year. Our State & Local Tax Team breaks down how the tax will be applied but questions whether it can survive legal challenges.

  • What are “digital advertising services”?
  • What legal challenges does the new tax face?