In a letter recently issued to Lafourche Parish, LA sales/use taxpayers, the Lafourche Parish local sales/use tax collector Amanda Granier explains that Lafourche Parish has now granted Lafourche Parish local sales/use tax filing extensions to certain dealers/taxpayers impacted by Hurricane Ida.

The Lafourche Parish sales/use tax office was “closed for the foreseeable future” due to

In response to the pandemic, the Jones Walker SALT team published an article regarding La. R.S. 47:1978.1 and its mandate that property damaged, destroyed, or rendered nonoperational due to an emergency declared by the governor was subject to reassessment, including the consideration of additional obsolescence, as a result of that physical and financial damage.

In response to Hurricane Ida, Governor John Bel Edwards issued a statewide state of emergency order on August 26, 2021. As such, any property, including buildings, structures, or personal property that was damaged, destroyed, or rendered nonoperational by Ida “shall” be subject to reassessment by the assessor. In fact, the Louisiana Tax Commission (Commission) recently issued Statewide Advisory No. 03-2021 encouraging any taxpayer whose property was destroyed, damaged, or rendered nonoperational due to Ida to document all damages and submit appropriate documentation, including photographs, to their assessor.Continue Reading Property Damage Suffered as a Result of Hurricane Ida Must be Considered by Assessors into Determining the Fair Market Value

On September 29, President Trump signed into law the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 (the “Act”). The Act provides temporary tax relief to the victims Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria (the “Hurricanes”). The Act also provides victims of the Hurricanes with additional access to their retirement accounts and lessens

On August 25, 2017, and September 10, 2017, President Trump declared major disasters in Texas and Florida due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma (the “Hurricanes”). Following the declarations, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) issued relief for affected individuals and entities. The IRS is postponing certain tax filings and payment deadlines for taxpayers who reside or work in the disaster area. The relief also provides qualifying individuals with expanded access to their retirement plan assets to alleviate hardships caused by the Hurricanes. Additional IRS guidance allows donation of employer-paid leave to charitable organizations aiding victims of the Hurricanes.

The DOL is providing additional relief to employers and plan fiduciaries, in the form of deadline leniency and relaxation of fiduciary requirements for benefit plans that have compliance lapses resulting from the Hurricanes. Finally, the PBGC is waiving certain penalties and extending certain filing deadlines. Below is a summary of the relief provided by the IRS, DOL, and PBGC. Additional relief is sure to follow for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Continue Reading Federal Agencies Provide Benefit Plan Relief to Victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

In response to the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, certain counties in Texas and Florida have been declared as major disaster areas. [For a complete list of declared counties and information on hurricane related federal tax relief see IRS Provides Tax Filing and Payment Relief to Hurricane Victims.]  As a result, numerous states have enacted delayed filing and payment periods for individuals and businesses located in these major disaster areas.  In order to help track these developments, the Jones Walker team has compiled and summarized the provided relief of participating states.  Our team will continue to monitor for further federal and state tax related disaster relief announcements and update this post accordingly.

Alabama

  • Alabama Department of Revenue Press Releases: August 29, August 31, September 12, 2017
  • Alabama taxpayers residing in Texas or Florida counties designated as disaster areas by the federal government have until Jan. 31, 2018, to file tax returns due on or after Sept. 1 (Sept. 15 for Hurricane Irma victims), 2017, and before Jan. 31, 2018.
  • Penalty relief will be provided during the extension period.
  • Taxpayers seeking this tax relief should write “Texas Flood 2017” or “Irma Relief – 2017” in red ink on any state paper return/report which relies on this filing extension relief.
  • The relief applies to individual income tax, corporate income tax, pass-through entities, sales and use tax, withholding tax, and business excise tax.
  • IRP/IFTA requirements for vehicles are temporarily suspended for vehicles engaged in disaster relief efforts.

Arkansas

California

  • CDTFA News Release NR 9-17 (September 1, 2017)
  • Business owners and tax and fee payers affected by Hurricane Harvey may request extensions to file their returns, ask for relief from penalties and/or interest for some taxes and fees, and request copies of records lost due to storm damage.
  • Deadlines are extended for filings that were delayed by disruptions affecting the U.S. Postal Service and private mail and freight companies.
  • Businesses located in the Gulf Coast area that have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, and who, as a result, cannot meet their filing and payment deadlines, may be eligible for relief.

Continue Reading State Tax Relief for Hurricane Victims

As a result of the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the following counties have been declared as major disaster areas, all of which are entitled to federal tax filing and payment relief:

In Texas: Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Karnes, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Polk, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller and Wharton Counties.

In Florida: Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota and St. Johns Counties.

Taxpayers whose principal residence or a business’ principal place of business was located in one of the counties declared as a major disaster area are entitled to certain federal tax relief for the 2016 tax year. This federal tax relief includes: (a) the suspension of certain deadlines to file tax returns; (b) the suspension of certain deadlines to pay taxes; and (c) the ability to claim casualty losses incurred as a result of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.Continue Reading IRS Provides Tax Filing and Payment Relief to Hurricane Victims

On October 3, 2016, under Notice 2016-55, the IRS will announce that employees won’t be taxed when they forgo vacation, sick, or personal leave in exchange for employer contributions of amounts to Section 170(c) charitable organizations providing relief to Louisiana storm victims. Notice 2016-55 will also provide that employers may deduct the amounts contributed as

On August 14, 2016, President Obama declared several parishes in southern Louisiana major disaster areas because of the severe storms and flooding that occurred. These parishes included Acadia, Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

If your principal residence is located in one of these parishes or your business’ principal place of business is located in one of these parishes, the designation of these parishes as a federally declared disaster area provides you with certain federal tax relief. This federal tax relief includes not only the suspension of certain deadlines to file tax returns or pay taxes, but also the ability to claim casualty losses incurred in the flooding on 2015 tax returns.
Continue Reading Federal Tax Return Filing and Payment Relief

As a result of the flooding throughout Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards issued Executive Order JBE 2016-053 to suspend deadlines in legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings.  The suspension is retroactive from Friday, August 12, 2016 and continues through Friday, September 9, 2016, unless amended, modified, terminated or rescinded by the Governor.

The Louisiana Department of