January 2024 Roundup: Tax laws you need to know

While you focus on your business, we stay on top of legislative and policy changes that can affect your tax compliance.

Nuts and bolts 

All the cool states are doing it. States are suspending sales tax on all kinds of things this year, from weather preparedness gear to back-to-school supplies. Read the latest on 2024 sales tax holidays.

Unfortunately, Zoltar couldn’t be reached for comment. We did, however, chat with our tax experts to get their predictions for tax and technology trends for the year ahead.

T-Birds and snowbirds. Good news for those who can never find their name on a novelty souvenir keychain: Sales and use tax exemptions in Florida are making it easier to bring back a vehicle from your sunny vacation.

Keeping it local can create complexity. At least, that’s certainly the case when it comes to local option fuel taxes. While federal tax on fuel is the same rate nationwide, local option sales tax rates differ across jurisdictions and can be tricky to look up.

Losing the remote in Utah. As in, the remote seller transaction threshold. And the Beehive State isn’t the only state considering eliminating the transaction threshold for remote sellers, making it easier for low-dollar high-volume sellers to stay compliant. Tune in to this blog post for the latest.

New tax updates in the Old Dominion. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin just submitted a budget bill that will increase the state’s sales and use tax rate and tax digital products and services. Learn about these and other proposed changes.

Exemption exhaustion. One of the trickier parts of tax compliance is managing exempt sales and exemption certificates. We dive into the challenges businesses like yours face — and how we can help you overcome them — in this post.

Power in partnership. We’ve been telling you for years that you don’t have to manage tax compliance alone. Now Avalara is launching a new program for our partners to help drive profitable, sustainable growth, and give you and your customers peace of mind. Read all about it.

License to tax. What is a sales tax permit? How do you obtain one? Do they ever expire? Does your business even need one? We’ve got you covered.

From the property tax desk

Mark your calendars. An important step in staying tax compliant is paying your bills on time. To help you with that step, we compiled a list of property tax bill due dates for 2024.

If an office chair is in an empty office and no one is around to sit in it, does it still get taxed? The COVID pandemic kicked off a wave of WFH employees, leaving offices empty and furniture unused. As companies downsize or liquidate personal property, they should consider what that means for their property tax bill.

Spot the difference. What’s the difference between property tax and sales tax? And how can you effectively manage both? We can help.

Some good news for Packers fans. At least for those who live in Wisconsin and deal with property taxes. As of January 1, 2024, the Badger State eliminated personal property tax. But before you celebrate with a sharp cheddar and a cold bottle of Spotted Cow, you may want to read up on how Wisconsin Act 12 changes real property.

Nowhere in the rule book does it say that a dog can’t be taxed as property. In some states, your four-legged family member counts as personal property as far as the IRS is concerned. But personal property taxes can get pretty hairy — learn how dog taxes are enforced in West Virginia, Connecticut, and Minnesota.

From the tap

You got a license for that hot toddy? With some Alaskan towns getting an average of 178 inches of snow annually, direct-to-consumer alcohol delivery can sound pretty good. But wineries, breweries, and distilleries shipping to consumers in The Last Frontier will have to make some changes to continue shipping DTC — like obtaining a permit.

Check out the Avalara resource center for more helpful information.

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