State and Local TaxIn addition to providing a full range of tax planning services, Waller Lansden attorneys routinely proceed to litigation when necessary. Our firm has represented numerous major corporate taxpayers in suits against taxing authorities to recover sales and use, franchise, excise, income, fuel, business, and liquor taxes. With over 30 state and local tax suits currently pending in Tennessee Courts, our attorneys are at the forefront of virtually every breaking state and local tax issue faced by Tennessee's business community. This reflects Waller Lansden's longstanding involvement in state and local tax controversies. We have prevailed as lead counsel in over 40 reported appellate decisions, while resolving the majority of our clients' state and local tax disputes in the trial courts or at the administrative level.
In addition to challenging the Department of Revenue, our firm represents taxpayers in a wide range of property tax disputes before local assessors and the Tennessee State Board of Equalization. In this area, our clients benefit from the firm's longstanding relationships with the nation's leading appraisal experts as well as our reputation for taking property tax disputes to the judicial level where necessary to obtain fair treatment. Our state and local tax attorneys are also at the forefront of unclaimed property law. In 2001, they successfully established in litigation that Tennessee businesses holding unclaimed gift certificates are not required to pay the value of said certificates in cash. In a sweeping decision, the Davidson County Chancery Court further held that any statute which required taxpayers to turn over the face value of gift certificates redeemable in merchandise would deny the holders their expected profit and violate the takings clause of the United States Constitution. Our attorneys represent clients in negotiations with the State Treasurer regarding unclaimed property and assist clients in implementing strategies to manage unclaimed property to minimize liability. WE ARE REQUIRED BY IRS CIRCULAR 230 TO INFORM YOU THAT ANY STATEMENTS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE NOT INTENDED OR WRITTEN TO BE USED, AND CANNOT BE USED, BY YOU OR ANY OTHER TAXPAYER, FOR THE PURPOSE OF AVOIDING ANY PENALTIES THAT MAY BE IMPOSED UNDER FEDERAL TAX LAW. |