Akerman’s State and Local Tax attorneys help clients manage their business and tax challenges amidst a constantly changing landscape of state and local tax laws and business and technological advancements. We are known for our work involving novel and emerging issues, and we also represent clients through routine and complex audits, administrative appeals, trial, mediation, and appellate litigation. We also provide data management, analysis and consulting, and legislative and lobbying support to complement these efforts and provide a full-service solution to a tax department’s needs.
Akerman frequently works with clients to balance the need to mitigate future assessments and risk with each client’s practical business goals, resources, and limitations. We help companies create tax efficient structures and strategies, use our vast experience in multiple industry sectors to easily identify potential risk and exposure, and achieve greater practical tax management and efficiency across multistate operations.
Our practice is national, and we have experience representing clients in state and local tax controversy matters in nearly every U.S. state, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Akerman’s tax group represents Fortune 500 companies and middle market national companies in key sectors including automotive, data and technology, healthcare, national retail, retail banking and finance, and equipment and vehicle finance and leasing. We also represent online retailers and marketplace providers, digital goods creators and sellers, and sharing economy industry participants, whose cutting-edge products and services challenge the traditional applications of state and local tax laws, and national companies that have filed for bankruptcy protection. We also serve as underwriting counsel to multiple insurers in the tax insurance market, assessing risk transfer on state and local tax policies.
Our attorneys have represented clients in many precedent-setting SALT cases, particularly in recent years, as state and local taxing entities have adopted more aggressive interpretations of tax regulations in the face of uncertain application of modern business to older statutes and to raise greater revenues. Clients benefit from our deep knowledge, experience, and strategic insight into the innerworkings of multiple state and local taxing authorities, enhancing our ability to resolve disputes without the need for formal litigation.
Our SALT team has earned wide recognition in the legal tax community. We have twice been named “Tax Practice Group of the Year” by Law360. Chambers USA and The Legal 500 have recognized our SALT practice and individual attorneys for their work. Our lawyers are sought-after speakers and regularly present at conferences held by leading industry organizations such as the Council on State Taxation (COST) and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT). We are quoted regularly in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Law360 Tax Authority, and Forbes, and we contribute articles frequently to Bloomberg Tax and Tax Notes, which features the practice’s quarterly “SALT Insights” column.
What We Do
- Apportionment and unitary business considerations
- Audits and administrative appeals
- Bad debt sales tax refund and credit claims
- Bankruptcy tax
- Class action tax litigation defense
- Corporate income tax
- Documentary stamp tax and real estate transfer tax
- Franchise tax
- Gross receipts and business activity taxes
- Legislative and lobbying services
- Nexus inquiries
- Real and personal property tax
- Sales and use tax
- State and local tax litigation in trial, appellate, and supreme courts
- State tax insurance underwriting
- Taxability matrices and other client product tools
- Unclaimed property liabilities
- Voluntary disclosure agreements
