Regulatory Analysis
Alabama has enacted HB 527, establishing a food sales tax holiday from May 1 through June 30, 2026. During this period, qualifying food items will be exempt from Alabama state sales tax. Eligible items are defined as those that qualify for purchase under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The full text of HB 527 […]
Indiana Senate Bill 243 (SB 0243), signed into law on March 5, 2026, amends several sections of the Indiana Code concerning taxation. Key provisions include new penny rounding rules, new adjusted gross income deductions, and increased gambling withholding thresholds. The bill introduces a penny phaseout rounding framework under two new code provisions. IC 5-36.5, effective […]
The IRS has released its revised Publication 1099 (General Instructions for Certain Information Returns). This publication provides comprehensive guidance for filing Forms 1096, 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498, and W-2G with the IRS and furnishing statements to recipients. Most notably, the IRS has retired the Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) system. Beginning tax year […]
The Washington legislature recently enacted Senate Bill 6346 imposing several changes to the sales tax law. Last October, Washington imposed sales tax on custom software, live presentations and a wide range of new services. The new law modifies and clarifies the scope of these services beginning July 1. Specifically, SB 6346: Expands the existing exemption […]
ProductCare, the recycling organization in charge of processing environmental handling fees (EHFs) on household waste products in several Canadian provinces, issued a notice recently that there will be a temporary pause on collecting EHFs in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Members are required to continue reporting, but as a $0 fee. See notice here. […]
SD HB 1245, effective July 1, 2026, allows municipalities to impose a temporary sales tax not exceeding 1% to assist with funding capital improvement projects. Any ordinance must be approved by voters before implementation. More information may be found here.
Effective July 1, 2026, SD HB 1254, allows a sales tax exemption for soil amendments if used in agriculture and 500 pounds or more are sold in a single sale.More information may be found here.
Effective July 1, 2026, SD SB 96, allows counties to enact a 0.5% sales tax pending approval by voters. If approved, the county sales tax revenue is dedicated to assist in reducing county property taxes.More information may be found here.
South Dakota (SD) SB 245, signed by the governor on March 12, 2026, captures revenue from the scheduled state sales tax increase (4.2% to 4.5% in July 2027) and dedicates it to a homeowner property tax reduction fund to help alleviate local property taxes.More information may be found here.
Manitoba recently released their fiscal 2026 budget, which, among other provisions, contains several provisions that will affect the Retail Sales Tax. More specifically, beginning on July 1, 2026, the RST exemption on basic groceries will be extended to apply to additional food and beverages for human consumption sold by grocery stores (such as ready-to-eat prepared […]
The IRS released Notice 2026-20, allowing eligible taxpayers to use alternative methods of adequate identification under Treas. Reg. § 1.1012-1(j)(3)(ii) for digital asset units held in broker custody through December 31, 2026. This extends the temporary relief first provided in Notice 2025-7 for an additional year. For digital assets held in the custody of a […]
Beginning April 1, 2026, Maryland will implement a PaintCare Recovery Program. The program will impose various fees on the sale of architectural paint in the state to fund recycling and disposal. More information may be found here.
The Rhode Island Division of Taxation recently released Advisory 2026-05, providing updated guidance on Form 1099 filing requirements for Tax Year 2025. The most significant change is an expanded filing threshold. Beginning with Tax Year 2025, issuers must file Form 1099 with the Division of Taxation whenever income greater than $100 is reported, regardless of […]
Colorado has revised its non-wage withholding regulations, specifically for gambling payments, real estate withholding, and optional non-wage withholding. For gambling withholding, rule 39-22-604-2 has been added. The rule relies on statutory requirements for gambling withholding. The regulations make it clear the gambling withholding rate is 4%, that payors of winnings must register to open a […]
The Internal Revenue Service has released Form 5498-ESA (Rev. December 2026), Coverdell ESA Contribution Information. The revised form converts to a continuous use format and is for use with 2026 information filed in early 2027. The form now includes a Calendar Year field requiring filers to specify the tax year. All references to specific tax […]
The IRS recently released a late-breaking update to Publication 5718, the IRIS A2A Electronic Filing Specifications for Processing Year 2026. This publication provides technical specifications for electronically filing information returns through the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS). The most critical change involves XML Schema Validation Errors. The publication now clarifies that transmissions rejected due to […]
The Rhode Island Department of Revenue recently found that sales of access to online databases should be subject to sales and use tax as this is considered the sale of vender-hosted prewritten computer software. In the decision, the Department noted that “searchability” (i.e., the ability to research/retrieve information) from a database is a main factor […]
The IRS recently released its 2026 General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3, the comprehensive guide for wage and tax statement reporting. This publication is generally updated annually, with this year’s version dated January 29, 2026. The most significant changes stem from Public Law 119-21, enacted July 4, 2025, which introduced three new reporting requirements […]