Software/Hi-Tech

Digital Products Subject to Georgia Sales and Use Tax Effective January 1, 2024

Sales of specified digital products, other digital goods and digital codes sold to an end user in Georgia are subject to Georgia sales and use tax, provided that the end user receives or will receive the right of permanent use of such products, goods, or codes and the transaction is not conditioned upon continued payment by the end user.

British Columbia Supreme Court Rules Amazon Web Services Not Subject to PST

Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled to Canadian social media company Hootsuite that certain Amazon Web Services (AWS) technical support and cloud products are not classified as software programs, and therefore are not subject to British Columbia’s 7% provincial sales tax.

T-Mobile Granted Sales Tax Refund on Sales of Electronically Delivered Software in Florida

An entity of T-Mobile was granted a $5.6 million Florida sales tax refund for sales of electronically delivered software to a T-Mobile affiliate.

Michigan Issues Bulletin Addressing Digital Goods

Michigan issued a revenue administrative bulletin (RAB 2023-10) addressing the taxation of computer software and digital products.

Arizona Appeals Court Re-Affirms State Position on Remote Software Licensing

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Department of Revenue, rejecting a refund request from an HR software company that challenged the taxation of their sales of software licenses.

Staffing and Payment Processing Services Provided Through Digital Platform are Not Taxable in Tennessee

Staffing augmentation and payment processing services provided by an out-of-state technology company are not subject to sales and use tax in Tennessee.

Louisiana City Cannot Charge Franchise Fees on Streaming Services

The City of Kenner, Louisiana, cannot sue Netflix and Hulu for franchise fees for providing video content via the Internet.

Washington Releases Guidance for Data Center Exemption Expiration Dates

The Washington Department of Revenue has released an Excise Tax Advisory providing further detail about the duration of the state\’s data center sales and use tax exemptions.

Tennessee Rules Membership Fees from Online Exercise Classes Are Taxable

The Tennessee Department of Revenue ruled that membership fees charged from a home exercise equipment company are subject to the state’s sales and use tax.

Arkansas Enacts Exemption for Qualifying Data Centers

Arkansas has enacted legislation that creates a sales and use tax exemption for qualifying data center equipment and costs and certain services provided to a data center.

Texas Non-Profit’s Sales of Learning System, Subscriptions, and Membership Dues are Exempt

A non-profit professional healthcare organization’s sales of a learning system, subscriptions to its journal, and annual membership dues were exempt from Texas sales and use tax.

Mississippi Imposes Tax on Computer Software with Exemption for Out-of-State Storage

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed S.B. 2449 into law on March 28, requiring sales and use tax to be charged on computer software and services. This law also entails an exemption for any software that is stored outside the state. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2023.

Washington Finds Utilities Meter Data Management Service to be Exempt

A Washington appellate court has ruled against the state Department of Revenue and a lower court\’s summary judgement, and ruled in favor of a company that collects and transmits data for Washington-based power companies.

Illinois Issued a Letter Discussing Taxability of Various Digital Goods

The Illinois Department of Revenue issued a general information letter encompassing the applicability of sales and use tax to the sales of various digital goods by a digital goods distributor (taxpayer).

Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals Rules ITFA Prohibits Taxing Cloud Storage

After performing an audit on Apple, the City of New Orleans issued an assessment on September 20, 2021, which included almost $136,000 in taxes on subscription fees for Apple’s iCloud, which Apple challenged.

Texas Letter Ruling Says Audiovisual and Videoconferencing Equipment and Services are Subject to Tax

The Texas Comptroller released a Letter Ruling on January 3, 2023, which found that a taxpayer’s audiovisual and videoconferencing equipment and the related services, both on-site and remote, are taxable under Texas law.

Florida State Law on Refunds and Over-collection

A Florida judge determined that Oracle America, a software company, was ineligible for a tax refund filed with the state after the tax was over-collected.

Indiana Updates Computer Software Guidance Document

The state of Indiana has released an update to their Information Bulletin #8, which addresses the specific tax treatment of computer hardware, software, and digital goods.

California Issues Guidance on Taxability of Cryptocurrency

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) has issued guidance on the sales and use tax treatment of cryptocurrency.

Taxing Digital Goods and Services: Recent Shifts and Trends

Let’s take a look at recent legislation states have put on the books and delve into new trends in digital goods and what to watch for in our virtual-driven world.

Tennessee Issues Letter Ruling Clarifying Advertising Services vs Computer Software

Tennessee issued a letter ruling stating tax should be paid on a subscription-based product which allows users to create and manage advertisements for rental properties.

Tennessee Letter Ruling on Data Processing Service

Tennessee issued a letter ruling clarifying that a company headquartered within Tennessee is not subject to Tennessee sales and use tax.

Streaming Company’s Platform Credits Not Taxable in Colorado

Colorado has issued a private letter ruling stating that “platform credits” offered by a company that offers video streaming services are not subject to Colorado sales tax.

Wisconsin Issues Guidance on Tax Treatment of Non-Fungible Tokens

Wisconsin has issued guidance on the taxability of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in its most recent monthly tax bulletin.