Mass. SJC Affirms U.S. Auto Parts’ Victory in Closely Watched State Tax Dispute

On December 22, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in a unanimous opinion written by Justice Wendlandt, held that the Massachusetts Department of Revenue cannot apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in South Dakota v. Wayfair retroactively against Brann & Isaacson client, U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. The Court held that the Department’s Internet Vendor...

Nathaniel Bessey and Jamie Szal Pen Cover Article for Tax Notes State

Tax Notes State has featured an article by partners Nathaniel Bessey and Jamie Szal on the cover of the January 10, 2022, issue. In “The Local Disadvantage,” Bessey and Szal discuss the disparate approaches states and localities with highly complex local tax systems have taken in the aftermath of the Supreme Court opinion in South...

Eisenstein and Swetnam-Burland Publish Article on Chicago Lease Transaction Tax in Tax Notes State

The April 5, 2021 issue of Tax Notes State features an article by managing partner Martin Eisenstein and partner David Swetnam-Burland, “Will the Chicago Lease Transaction Tax Survive a Strong Wind?” Eisenstein and Swetnam-Burland detail the expansive interpretation the City of Chicago has adopted of its personal property lease transaction tax as applied to digital...

Brann & Isaacson Wins Summary Judgment for U.S. Auto Parts in Massachusetts Tax Dispute

On January 28, 2021, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board granted summary judgment in favor of Brann & Isaacson client, U.S. Auto Parts, and abated a sales tax assessment dating to October 1, 2017. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue had assessed U.S. Auto Parts, which did not have a physical presence in Massachusetts, under its Internet Vendor...

B&I Attorneys Present Webinar on the Chaos in State Tax Law, Post-Wayfair

On April 30, 2020, Brann & Isaacson senior partner George Isaacson, partner Nathaniel Bessey, and associate Jamie Szal, were featured presenters at a webinar on “Confronting the Chaos of State Taxes in the Post-Wayfair Environment,” offered by the Institute of Finance & Management. Isaacson, who represented Wayfair in the Supreme Court in South Dakota v....

George Isaacson, Martin Eisenstein, and David Bertoni Published in State Tax Notes and Law360

This week has seen a flurry of publications by Brann & Isaacson partners on key issues in state tax law as we near the end of 2019. On December 13, 2019, Law360 published an article by managing partner Martin I. Eisensteinand partner David W. Bertoni entitled, “Beware Eroding Tax Protections for Website Operators” (subscription required)....

Eisenstein and Schaefer Present Webinar on Economic Nexus for State Tax

On September 24, 2019, managing partner Martin Eisenstein and partner Matthew Schaefer co–led a webinar for Strafford Publications entitled “Economic Presence Nexus for States and Local Taxes: Meeting the Challenges of Developing State Standards After Wayfair.”  The webinar provided corporate tax advisers with guidance on increased state taxing authority under the “economic nexus” standards validated by South Dakota...

Martin Eisenstein and Matthew Schaefer Present Webinar on Tax Treatment of Direct Mail and Electronic Communications Post-Wayfair

On August 20, 2019, managing partner Martin Eisenstein and partner Matthew Schaefer co–led a webinar for Strafford Publications on the “Sales Tax Treatment of Direct Mail and Online Communications Post-Wayfair.” The webinar provided corporate tax advisers with guidance on the expanded state sales tax obligations of printers and purchasers of direct mail after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in South Dakota...

Matthew Schaefer Presents at Tax Conference

On June 25, 2019, partner Matthew Schaefer spoke at the Institute for Professionals in Taxation’s 43rd Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Schaefer reviewed developments in state tax law in the year following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. He discussed the sweeping legal changes of the past twelve months...

George Isaacson Addresses Michigan Bar Association

On May 23, 2019, Senior Partner George Isaacson spoke at the 32nd Tax Conference ICLE (Institute of Continuing Legal Education) of the Michigan Bar Association in Plymouth, Michigan. In his address, “An Insider’s View: Wayfair’s Attorney Breaks Down the Decision,” Isaacson discussed the lead-up, argument, and aftermath of South Dakota v. Wayfair, which he argued...