Laura Mahoney

Car Dealers Outpace Retail Giants With California Tax Deals Online retail giants like Apple and Walmart gain the most from tax-sharing deals with California cities, but a closer look at the data shows that car dealers and other local businesses end up with the...

Thank you, Bloomberg Tax, for highlighting the effectiveness and the need for transparency brought about by my #AB2854. This data can now be used to inform any changes that may be contemplated. #CALeg

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Car Dealers Outpace Retail Giants With California Tax Deals Online retail giants like Apple and Walmart gain the most from tax-sharing deals with California cities, but a closer look at the data shows that car dealers and other local businesses end up with the...

Our deep dive into newly disclosed data shows online retailers largely get the biggest payouts in deals cut with cities to share sales tax revenue, but car dealers have the most deals. And fleet fuel companies are making out pretty well, too. news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-re...

Lawyers, wanna be lawyers, and friends of lawyers: read this excellent deep dive into the future of the bar exam by my colleague @maiaspoto.bsky.social with California's bar exam meltdown at the center of it all.

Sacramento Correspondent You will write everything from breaking news on proposed regulations to longer term enterprise stories that companies and consumers care about. You will be the tip of the spear on our biggest stories ...

Bloomberg Tax is hiring a reporter in Sacramento! That means I'm retiring. More on that later. We're looking for someone who can break news on California tax policy, lawmaking, and litigation with dailies and enterprise. Posting: bloomberg.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Bloomb...

Nike, Apple Tax ‘Shell Game’ Costs California Cities Millions (1) New details showing California cities have given $877 million to an array of companies through decades-long tax-sharing deals are fodder for changes to the rules that give rise to them.

Reactions from lawmakers and deep thinkers on new data showing tax revenue from California cities and counties to some of the biggest companies like Apple to a car dealers and restaurants. With an updated, higher total from CDTFA paid to companies: $877 million. news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-re...

Apple, Walmart Cash in on California Cities’ Tax-Sharing Deals Seventy-nine California jurisdictions have paid $831.6 million in sales tax revenue over more than three decades to companies ranging from giants like Apple Inc. and Walmart.com to local restaurants ...

79 California jurisdictions have paid $831.6 million in sales tax revenue over more than 3 decades to companies from giants like Apple Inc. and Walmart.com to local restaurants and car dealerships, according to data disclosed for the first time. First in @bloombergtax.com: aboutblaw.com/biqM

How Best Buy, Apple, Nike, and Other Online Retailers Make Millions From California Tax Deals YouTube video by Bloomberg Law

We won a national silver award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for the video wherein Andrew Satter and I explain sales tax sharing deals worth millions of $ between a few California cities and some of the biggest names in retail. ICYMI:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMQa...

California Bullish on Corporate Tax Credit Despite Dip in Awards California’s signature corporate tax incentive program is sitting on $645 million—and growing—in credits it could award to companies for increasing jobs in the state, and program officials say reversi...

Here's a deeper dive I did last month explaining why the state's signature business tax credit has an unused pot of $645 million in credits and what can, or can't be done about it.
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Economic Uncertainty Dampens California Jobs Tax Credit Awards California officials canceled or reduced about the same amount of business income tax credits as they gave out to companies promising to create jobs in the state on Thursday, continuing a trend that t...

Gov. Newsom's office is touting $30.5 million in California Competes tax credit awards yesterday to 7 companies promising to add jobs and investments. Here's my story on the action. Economic uncertainty = a dearth of worthy applications and a buildup of credits. news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-re...

Got Montana Plates? States Ramp Up the Scrutiny on Tax Dodgers A decades-old tax avoidance strategy could be costing other states hundreds of millions of dollars in vehicle taxes and fees, revenue officials say. Utah and California are leading enforcement efforts...

That RV with Montana plates you saw on the 101 probably isn't a visitor from the Big Sky. Our exclusive investigation shows how Montana LLCs shelter owners from tax and registration. Thousands of RVs, boats, jets, luxury cars. Millions in lost state revenue. news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-re...

Cupertino paid #Apple for $12.1 million for its share in sales tax revenue since 2023--money the city held onto while negotiating a settlement with @cdtfa.bsky.social over flow of tax revenue under a sharing agreement with Apple. Grand total for Apple since 1998: $120 million. aboutblaw.com/bhTC

Overheard in the Swing Space hallway: "I'm just going to go after his chief and stalk him for the next three days." So, a typical Tuesday.

California Bill Revives Effort to Allow Tax Fraud Whistleblowers California lawmakers are reviving an effort to expand the state’s False Claims Act to allow whistleblowers to report alleged tax fraud, five years after their most recent attempt to revise the statute...

California's False Claims Act would expand to cover whistleblowers reporting tax fraud under a bill from Attorney General @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov and @benallenca.bsky.social. Similar bills in 2019 and 2020 didn't advance. They're trying again. news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-re...

IRS Yanks Data Security Guidance for State Revenue Agencies (1) The IRS has removed guidance from its website that directs state, local, and tribal governments on their data security responsibilities when handling federal tax information, raising questions for som...

Recently state revenue officials reached out to discuss the disappearance of critical IRS guidance directing their tax data security activities. The IRS finally acknowledged the interruption. It remains unclear why IRS removed Pub 1075. Any theories out there? news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-tax-re...

Best Picture Nominees Filmed With Tax Credits Far From Hollywood When the envelope for Best Picture is opened at the Oscars on Sunday night, the winning film will almost certainly be one that received lucrative tax credits to be made somewhere far from the soundsta...

Lots of Oscar nominees got film tax credits. None of them were from California. Food for thought as California lawmakers debate Gov. Newsom's request to expand California's tax credit. Must read ahead of the Oscars from my talented colleague Danielle Muoio Dunn: news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-re...

Tech Founder, California Tax Official Spar Over Fundraiser Mixup An elected California tax official is facing allegations he told tech company founder Palmer Luckey that he’s unable to treat him fairly on California tax matters because Luckey hosted a presidential ...

Oculus and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey takes issue with a California Board of Equalization member's angry demands to be invited to a political fundraiser for Joe Biden. But the event was for Donald Trump.
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State Tax Agencies Brace for Downstream Impact of IRS Cuts State tax agencies are paying attention as the Trump administration slashes IRS staff and throws agency priorities into limbo, because the trickle-down can change their work and even their revenue.

States brace for impact of IRS cuts on revenue and tax administration. From my talented colleague @mjbologna.bsky.social on @bloombergtax.com

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Bondi Beach on Australia Day, aka Invasion Day or Survivors Day

SALT Boost Gets New Push by GOP Lawmaker Ahead of Trump Meeting A key Republican congressman is reintroducing legislation to increase the write-off on state-and-local dues for federal taxpayers, doubling down on a proposal to partially restore relief for individua...

A key Republican congressman is reintroducing legislation to increase the write-off on state-and-local dues for federal taxpayers, doubling down on a proposal to partially restore relief for individuals and families in high-tax states.

Republican California Tax Board Chair Wants to Restore Its Role The sole Republican on the five-member California State Board of Equalization will chair the board in 2025 and wants to try again to restore some of the authority the board lost seven years ago to hea...

Democrats elected Republican Ted Gaines as the new chair of the State Board of Equalization this week. He wants restore the board's authority over some tax appeals, reviving a failed effort to give elected officials a larger role in state tax policy.
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California Tax-Sharing Disclosure Law Overrides Confidentiality Taxpayer confidentiality isn’t a valid reason for California cities and counties to avoid reporting what they give to retailers each year through sales tax revenue-sharing agreements under a new state...

Taxpayer confidentiality isn’t a valid reason for California cities and counties to avoid reporting what they give to retailers each year through sales tax revenue-sharing agreements under a new state law, @cdtfa.bsky.social says.
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IRS Purge of Bias in Low-Income Audits Threatened by GOP Cuts Stung by research showing Black taxpayers may be audited at higher rates than their counterparts, the IRS efforts to correct any system bias now face a hairy future under a Republican administration a...

Stung by research showing Black taxpayers may be audited at higher rates than their counterparts, the IRS efforts to correct any system bias now face a hairy future under a Republican administration and Congress.