April 2025 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.

“Maybe not,” says Maryland. Earlier this year, the Old Line State considered joining Colorado and Minnesota in adopting a retail delivery fee. The delivery fee was ultimately cut from the bill, but it would have affected a broad range of vendors and marketplace facilitators.  

Old Line, New Taxes? In another attempt at increasing tax revenue, Maryland legislature introduced SB1045, a bill that, if passed, would apply a 2.5% sales tax rate to services including accounting, information technology, public relations, and valet parking. And HB352 seeks to place a 3% tax on intellectual property.  
 
What’s use tax got to do with it? Most business owners are familiar with sales tax (if not, welcome — we’re going to have a lot of fun together) but use tax can be trickier to account for. Find out the difference between use tax and sales tax, and how to avoid negative audit findings by getting use tax right. 

A sticky situation. Bobbing in cereal milk, roasted over a fire, or molded into the shape of a chick and dunked in sugar — we all love marshmallows. One thing people can’t seem to agree on, however, is how to tax these treats.  
 
Add to cart. Ecommerce is growing, and Shopify merchants know how helpful automation can be when your business is scaling. But did you know you can manage sales tax through your ecommerce platform? Follow these best practices for sales tax automation through Shopify.  
 
The who, what, where, when, why (and how) of W-9. We break down the W-9 and help you understand one of the most common tax forms.  
 
It’s a Tax Day celebration. On April 15, the CFO Alliance welcomed Avalara as a new sponsor partner. We, of course, are thrilled to join the family. Read more about what makes Avalara and CFO Alliance a great partnership.  
 
Getting to the source. Determining sales tax rates can be tricky; there are more than 13,000 sales and use tax jurisdictions after all. So how are sales tax rates determined? The answer starts with sourcing rules.  
 
The latest trends. Omnichannel retail is growing. Get the latest omnichannel retail trend report and learn how to maximize key opportunities.  
 
High-tech taxability. Determining the taxability of tangible goods and services can be a challenge for businesses, but what happens when a product or service exists online, or is downloadable or streamable? Get the state-by-state guide to digital product taxability. 
 
Study buddies. If your business sells to or operates outside your home state, you may be liable for taxes in other states. A nexus study is one way to find out whether you’ve developed a tax obligation.  
 
What do bananas and property taxes have in common? Their appeals. Property taxes aren’t set in stone, and if your assessment seems off, you can file a property tax appeal. Find out why, how, and when to submit an appeal.  
 
The merry month of May. Find out which sales tax rate changes are going into effect May 1, 2025.

Continued tariff turbulence. We’re keeping track of current tariff news and how tariffs might affect tax compliance for your business. Here are our posts on what you need to know about the U.S.-Canada trade war, how to handle US-China tariffs and the end of de minimis, and how to prepare for the 125% tariffs on goods from China.