IRS Encourages Taxpayers to Check Withholding
Are your employees having enough money withheld from their regular paychecks? The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has made a number of significant changes to the tax rules for individuals for 2018 through 2025. Consequently, many taxpayers, in Maine and elsewhere, who...
Sales Tax: Supreme Court Ruling Affects Retailers and Consumers
A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling paves the way for states such as Maine to require Internet sellers to collect sales tax from consumers — even when they don't have a physical presence in the state. (South Dakota v. Wayfair, No. 17-494, June 21, 2018) With this...
Florida Court Rejects Active-Passive Framework in Appreciation Analysis
Bair v. Bair When appraisers deal with the issue of appreciation of nonmarital property, they often think in terms of “active versus passive.” A Florida divorce case shows that the rigid adoption of this framework may result in an erroneous valuation. Cannot pick and...
New Tax Benefits of Hiring Your Kid
Summer jobs remain an effective way for kids to learn about fiscal responsibility, save for college or even retirement, and supplement their spending money for the next school year. If you’re a Maine business owner, think about hiring your child or grandchild as a...
Supreme Court Sides with Employers on Arbitration Agreements
The Supreme Court often agrees to rule on issues where individual appeals courts have come to different conclusions, in order to create a uniform national legal standard. This was the situation when the court passed down a 5-4 decision for Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis....
Does Your Business Need a Temporary CFO?
Does your Maine company need a chief financial officer but you can't afford to hire one full time? Or do you need someone to help prepare your business to be sold, handle a special project, or cover for an executive who is ill or left the organization? A temporary, or...
Expert’s Exclusion Dooms ‘Frozen Market’ Theory and Loss of Value Claims
TiVo Research & Analytics, Inc. v. TNS Media Research LLC A damages case involving significant amounts of money began to unravel when the trial court excluded the plaintiff’s expert, saying the damages opinion failed the causation requirement. The plaintiff’s...
What’s the Status of Gender-Based Pay Discrimination?
The widespread belief that pay discrimination is rampant in Maine and across the country, regardless of the underlying facts, is what puts many employers at risk for litigation based on charged of unequal compensation. A recent Pew Research poll found 77% of women...
ESOP Trustee’s ‘Passive and Blind’ Adoption of Valuation Spells Liability
Perez v. First Bankers Trust Services, Inc. Close on the heels of the Brundle case, in which the court ruled the ESOP trustee was liable for a $28 million overpayment, comes a second decision finding trustee liability. In tandem, these cases drive home the point that...
New Tax Law Boosts Appeal of Qualified Small Business Corporations
Would you be interested in investing in a business that allows you to later sell your stock tax-free? It may be an option for qualified small business corporation (QSBC) stock that was acquired on or after September 28, 2010. Sales of QSBC stock may be eligible for a...