WG&L; Journals

 

CORPORATE FRANCHISE AND INCOME TAXES

 

Sourcing Receipts in Sales-Factor Apportionment for Service Companies

 

Sales is the factor most likely to be defined differently by the various states with regard to personal service corporations.

Author: JOHN P. CARBONE

JOHN P. CARBONE, CPA, MBA, is Controller of Dulcian, Inc., an Oracle product development and consulting company, in Iselin, New Jersey (jcarbone@dulcian.com). He is a member of the Mercer Chapter of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, the AICPA, and the Institute of Management Accountants, and has served on the adjunct faculty staff at Mercer County Community College. The opinions stated in this article are Mr. Carbone's, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dulcian, Inc.

EDITED BY CHARLES M. STEINES, PHILIP M. TATAROWICZ, AND RICHARD W. TOMEO

 

With the proliferation of computers, the growing use of the Internet, and the shift in the U.S. from a manufacturing economy to a service economy, it is imperative that tax practitioners be versed in the fundamentals of multistate taxation with regard to the service industry. The U.S. economy has spawned a multitude of technology consulting corporations, many of which – despite their small size and modest capitalization – have significant profits and conduct their business at various client sites across the country. Therefore, practitioners may find themselves dealing with more and more clients exhibiting this type of profile. 1

 

One fundamental area of concern involves advising multistate professional service organizations about allocation and apportionment for purposes of the corporate net income tax. 2 When dealing with services, the receipts (or sales) factor is by far the most difficult factor to delineate and the most likely to be defined differently by the various states. In many instances, assigning sales of services for purposes of determining each state's sales factor may not be a well-defined task. Once it has been ascertained that a transaction principally involves services (and not incidental services associated with the sale of tangible property 3), the practitioner needs to determine how the individual states direct the assignment.

 

As discussed in greater detail below, the Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act (UDITPA) and the Multistate Tax Compact indirectly address the sale of services by prescribing an "all or nothing" assignment for receipts from transactions other than sales of tangible property. The Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) refined this rule in regulations providing for the assignment of service sales based on time spent in each state where the service is performed. Individual states are free to accept, reject, or modify the basic UDITPA rule and the MTC regulations. In addition, states can develop their own rules that may be considerably more detailed than either the UDITPA or MTC pronouncements. Further, it is not uncommon for states to incorporate language into their laws or regulations to allow the taxpayer to request an assignment method that it believes more closely represents the economic realities underlying its sales transactions. Typically, the state's tax authorities also have the power to impose a sourcing methodology to replace an allocation that the state finds does not fairly represent the taxpayer's business activity in the state. Thus, practitioners should exercise due diligence when advising clients in this area.

 

In an analysis of these matters, it is useful to review generally the three-factor apportionment formula and the history of some multistate authority and guidance, along with highlights of various typical state provisions and some specific examples involving the sourcing of sales for purposes of determining the receipts factor.

 

The Commerce Clause

 

The Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce between the states. Congress has conspicuously avoided enacting a raft of laws defining interstate commerce. Therefore, much of the work has been left to the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of struggling to analyze and implement the intention, scope, and application of the Commerce Clause as it relates to the states' power to tax.

 

The most recent judicial interpretations allow for a reasonable level of interstate taxation conducted within loose guidelines set by the court. The result is a level of ambiguity vis-a-vis coordination among the states. In Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady, 4 the Supreme Court determined that a state tax would not violate the Commerce Clause if the tax was:

(1) Applied to an activity with a substantial nexus to the taxing state.

(2) Fairly apportioned.

(3) Not discriminatory.

(4) Fairly related to the services provided by the state.

Unlike federal taxation, in state taxation a practitioner generally cannot rely on one central set of rules. Once tax nexus is established with a state, the practitioner needs to research state-specific rules as well as federal statutes and constitutional law. 5

 

Fair apportionment: the three-factor formula.

 

Service-based businesses not only are increasing in number but routinely reach out to do business in other states where their services are in demand. Many of these new companies are technology-based consulting firms that can generate significant revenue. Therefore, it is worth the effort for consultants based in the company's home state to travel to customers in other states. The same tax issues exist for virtually any other type of service-provider that crosses state boundaries. Practitioners should understand that much of this activity creates nexus for these companies in those other states. Moreover, of course, this service income is not sheltered from taxation in those states in the same way that income from sales of certain property is sheltered under P.L. 86-272. 6 Sales of services are not granted the federal protections afforded to sales of tangible personal property.

 

Typically, taxable net income is apportioned to the various states using a three-factor formula or some derivation thereof. Basically, pre-tax net income is apportioned by multiplying the income by the average of the following three factors:

(1) Receipts (or sales) in the state divided by receipts everywhere.

(2) Property owned or leased in the state divided by property everywhere.

(3) Payroll in the state divided by payroll everywhere. 7

Many states have adopted variations of this formula, e.g., weighting one factor or another more heavily. For example, New Jersey, employing a common variation, now uses a "double weighted receipts factor." This requires that the sales factor be counted twice, with the total of the factors divided by four instead of three in order to obtain the average. Other states have simply dropped one or two factors from the formula. 8

 

Within the context of providing a fair apportionment scheme, the states are allowed reasonable latitude in defining each factor. This caveat should not be taken lightly. States may have rules that, although constitutionally allowable, are considerably varied in determining tax. For example, many states, including New Jersey, allow apportionment only if the taxpayer has a regular place of business outside the state. 9 New Jersey taxpayers that have no regular place of business outside the state but, nevertheless, pay tax to one or more other states must calculate their New Jersey tax on their entire net income and then apply for credits for the taxes paid to other jurisdictions. 10

 

Models for Apportionment

 

States employ various apportionment methods in dealing with sales of services. Prior to Complete Auto, the states clamored for uniformity of income taxation on multistate activity. In this regard, various models have been developed in connection with the Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act, the Multistate Tax Compact, and the Multistate Tax Commission. Many states, to various degrees, have incorporated these models into their own laws. Once it is established that a service is being rendered, the practitioner then, of course, must determine how the particular state assigns the underlying revenue for sales factor purposes.

 

Although UDITPA and the Multistate Tax Compact/Commission are logical beginning points of study, the practitioner should recognize that they do not represent a federal enactment, and that a state need not adopt any of these guidelines. In addition, Multistate Tax Compact member states may rescind their membership and depart from the Compact guidelines. Moreover, member states are not precluded from passing laws or developing regulations that interpret the Tax Compact (or UDITPA) in various ways.

 

Member states, however, clearly are interested in uniformity. To that end, reasonable (although not necessarily perfect) representations of UDITPA are usually embedded in their laws and regulations.

 

UDITPA.

 

The Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act was developed by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, and was approved at its 66th annual conference in July 1957 and by the American Bar Association's House of Delegates that same year. 11 UDITPA is a proposed framework for federal enactment. Because Congress never acted on it, however, each state can accept, modify, or reject it. Of the 45 states (and the District of Columbia) with corporate income taxes, 23 have adopted UDITPA and most of the others have similar statutory schemes. 12 The Commissioners' prefatory note to UDITPA encapsulates the reasoning behind the Act's design:

"The Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act is designed for enactment in those states which levy taxes on or measured by net income. The need for a uniform method of division of income for tax purposes among the several taxing jurisdictions has been recognized for many years and has long been recommended by the Council of State Governments. There is no other practical means of assuring that a taxpayer is not taxed on more than its net income."

The sales factor under UDITPA. In considering the sales factor in connection with assigning to a state the receipts from sales of other than tangible personal property, UDITPA directs the taxpayer to look at the "income-producing activity." Under UDITPA, if the income-producing activity is performed in one state, the sale is deemed to be in that state. If the income-producing activity is performed in more than one state, the entire sale is assigned to the state where the greatest cost of performance was incurred (the "all or nothing" rule). UDITPA's language, of course, does not specifically deal with the sale of services. Rather, it refers to sales of "other than ... tangible personal property." 13

 

Under UDITPA, the meaning of "income-producing activity" can be somewhat ambiguous. In some instances, the income-producing activity might be thought of as the lowest discrete level of service for which the selling organization has the right to receive income. Still, this is only one reasonable interpretation of "income-producing activity." When determining the source of receipts from sales of services, specific state statutes and regulations must be researched and analyzed. Even though many states have similar provisions, subtle differences may yield substantially different tax consequences.

 

Multistate Tax Compact and Commission.

 

The Multistate Tax Compact was drafted in the mid-1960s as an alternative to then-pending federal legislation. States may voluntarily subscribe to the Compact, which became effective on 8/4/67. According to Article 1 of the Compact, its purpose is to:

(1) "Facilitate proper determination of State and local tax liability of multistate taxpayers, including the equitable apportionment of tax bases and settlement of apportionment disputes."

(2) "Promote uniformity or compatibility in significant components of tax systems."

(3) "Facilitate taxpayer convenience and compliance in the filing of tax returns and in other phases of tax administration."

(4) "Avoid duplicative taxation."

The Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) consists of 43 states and the District of Columbia, all of which participate at various levels (i.e., 21 "Compact members," one "sovereignty member," 19 "associate members," and three "project members"). 14 The Compact-member states have adopted the Multistate Tax Compact (which incorporates UDITPA), and they actively manage the MTC. The other levels of membership do not require adoption of the Compact, may require little or no financial support from the member, and do not involve managing the MTC.

 

MTC guidance. The Multistate Tax Compact incorporates UDITPA, and the MTC suggests regulations that are meant to help interpret the Compact's intent. Member states, however, are not bound to adopt the regulations. The regulations, together with the MTC's audit manuals, may also be excellent resources in seeking to understand how the MTC interprets UDITPA.

 

Sales Factor Under MTC Regulations

 

The MTC offered guidance in determining the receipts factor for sales of other than tangible personal property by issuing MTC Reg. IV.17. This regulation is an interpretation of Multistate Tax Compact Article IV ("Division of Income"), which is based on UDITPA.

 

Generally, MTC Reg. IV.17(1) provides that "gross receipts from transactions other than sales of tangible personal property" are attributed to a state "if the income producing activity which gave rise to the receipts is performed wholly within this state. Also, gross receipts are attributed to this state if, with respect to a particular item of income, the income producing activity is performed within and without this state but the greater proportion of the income producing activity is performed in this state, based on costs of performance." Initially, this regulation is little more than a reiteration of UDITPA's general "all or nothing" rule for receipts from transactions other than sales of tangible property. The language does not specifically refer to services but, by default, sales of services would come under this rule. Further reading of the regulation, however, reveals a "special rule" for receipts from the performance personal services. 15

 

Sales of services.

 

With regard to the performance of services, MTC Reg. IV.17(4)(B)(c) states generally that gross receipts "are attributable to this state to the extent that such services are performed in this state." The regulation goes on to say: "If services relating to a single item of income are performed partly within and partly without this state, the gross receipts from the performance of such services shall be attributable to this state only if the greater proportion of the services was performed in the state, based on costs of performance."

 

This last quoted language is similar to the general sourcing rule (in MTC Reg. IV.17(1), as quoted above) for an income-producing activity performed both in and outside a state and, initially, gives the impression that there is an "all or nothing" assignment of receipts from the sale of services. That is, all the receipts from a sale would be assigned to the state where the seller incurred the greatest cost of performance for a multistate income-producing activity. Further reading of MTC Reg. IV.17(4)(B)(c), however, provides the following special rule for personal services:

"Usually, where services are performed partly within and partly without this state, the services performed in each state will constitute a separate income producing activity; in such cases, the gross receipts from the performance of services attributable to this state shall be measured by the ratio which the time spent in performing the services in this state bears to the total time spent in performing the services everywhere." (Emphasis added.)

Thus, an exception to the all-or-nothing rule exists for receipts from the performance of services. The regulations distinguish this area based on a finding that services provided in any single state "usually" are an income-producing activity separate from the services performed in another state. The total receipts from those services are assigned to the states in proportion to the time spent in each state. Examples in the regulations reinforce this conclusion.

 

Thus, based on the regulations, the MTC clearly intended to provide an exception to the "all or nothing" rule when dealing with receipts from the sale of services. 16

 

Some Typical State Variations

 

State departures from the logic of the UDITPA and MTC guidelines should be recognized. Many states have differing views of what constitutes an income-producing activity. In addition, although the basic three-factor formula (or some variation) is common, the underlying data that is used in the formula may differ significantly from state to state. The following discussion illustrates some typical state deviations from UDITPA and the MTC regulations in determining the source of receipts from sales of services. (Of the states discussed below, New York does not subscribe to the MTC at all, California is a member, and New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania are merely associate members.)

 

California.

 

California has adopted UDITPA as interpreted under the MTC regulations. Accordingly, California has a general rule for assigning receipts from transactions other than sales of tangible property, and an exception for services where the assignment is done according to a ratio based on time spent in each state. 17

 

A personal service business generally charges its customers in one of two ways, either based on time spent or for a fixed fee. Under a "time and materials" contract, the income-producing activity that gives rise to receipts might be considered the expending of a moment of time while working to give the client whatever service the firm is engaged to provide. Usually, the service provider furnishes hourly services of one or more individuals in labor categories that are based on talent/skill levels. The fee is based on the number of hours that a particular labor category works multiplied by the billing rate for the category.

 

One approach that might be used in this type of contract is to view each billable hour worked as the income-producing activity. Sales would then be sourced to the state where the billable hour was performed under the general UDITPA rule. This approach would tend to "specifically identify" each service hour. Alternatively, if services associated with the entire time-and-materials contract were viewed as performed partly within and partly without California, the taxpayer would be required to assign all of the revenues from the contract based on a time ratio under the MTC regulation's special rule. The assignment could be quite different depending on the weighting of where various labor categories provided the services.

 

The first approach would tend to match the actual billable hours to the geographical situs of the services, while the second approach would simply average the entire income from the contract across the states involved according to a time ratio. The practitioner should quantify the two potential outcomes and determine if petitioning the tax authorities for acceptance of a position is a prudent step when there are significant differences in the assignments.

 

Under a fixed-price contract in California, it is likely that the special rule under the MTC regulations would be an appropriate assignment method.

 

New Jersey.

 

In New Jersey, receipts from all services are assigned to the state where the service is performed. 18 In this respect, New Jersey's method resembles the special rule for services under the MTC regulations.

 

For a "time and materials" contract (as discussed above), the taxpayer's accounting system can be implemented to track where the billable service hours are performed and thereby allow the assignment of the receipts to the proper state. When the taxpayer receives a fixed payment for services performed in and outside New Jersey, the sales are assigned according to "the cost of performance or amount of time spent in the performance of such services or by some other reasonable method" that reflects the economic realities of the situation. 19 Thus, New Jersey does not subscribe to the "all or nothing" rule for services. Also, New Jersey does not mandate that the sales be prorated according to time spent within its borders. Accordingly, in contrast to the MTC regulations for personal services, the sourcing may be based on other ratios. Under the "economic realities" language, it is reasonable to believe that New Jersey might accept a more complicated scheme for assignment of revenues from a fixed-price contract to account for weighting based on where various labor categories actually performed services under the contract.

 

Maryland.

 

In Maryland, sales for all services are sourced in the state if the receipts are derived from customers in the state, 20 which the regulations define as individuals or businesses that are "domiciled" in Maryland. 21 The regulations provide some examples, as follows.

 

Example. "An attorney, a partner in law firm A located in the District of Columbia, renders legal advice to a domiciliary of Maryland. Assuming sufficient nexus between the law firm and Maryland so as to require the filing of a Maryland income tax return, the fee earned from the service rendered to the Maryland domiciliary is included in the numerator of A's sales factor." 22

 

The preceding example differs from the MTC regulations in that where the service was performed does not matter. Rather, the market state (i.e., Maryland) is what drives the assignment of the sale.

 

Example. "An accountant B, whose firm is located within Maryland, performs accounting services for a resident of Pennsylvania. The fee earned from these services is not included in the numerator of B's sales factor." 23

 

Clearly, the MTC regulations would identify the accountant's work as personal services (presumably performed at the firm's office) and, therefore, source the related receipts to Maryland. In contrast, however, Maryland regulations instruct the taxpayer to do the exact opposite. Obviously, while UDITPA and the MTC regulations strive for uniformity, applying those rules to all states and assuming that will yield reasonable assignments is not prudent.

 

Maryland has a special rule for sourcing receipts from services regarding real property. Here, a customer – and thus the source of the receipt – is deemed in or outside the state based on the situs of the property. 24

 

Example. "An architect contracts with a nonresident of this State to design a shopping center in this State. The architect shall include in the numerator of the sales factor all revenue received from the customer." 25

 

New York.

 

Under New York's regulations, the receipts from all services performed in the state are sourced to New York. 26 For fixed-price contracts where services are performed in and outside the state, a portion of the fee is attributed to New York based on the relative value of, or the time spent in the performance of, those services in New York (or by some other reasonable method). 27 This is similar to the MTC regulations' special rule for personal services. New York applies its rules to all services and allows for sourcing ratios based on elements other than time spent in the state (similar to New Jersey, discussed above).

 

Pennsylvania.

 

Pennsylvania has adopted the "all or nothing" method for sourcing receipts from sales of other than tangible personal property, and the statute does not distinguish between services and other activities. Specifically, such sales are sourced to Pennsylvania if "[t]he income-producing activity is performed in this State; or ... [t]he income-producing activity is performed both in and outside this State and a greater proportion of the income-producing activity is performed in this State than in any other state, based on costs of performance." 28

 

Thus, Pennsylvania has not adopted the interpretation of UDITPA as articulated by the MTC with regard to the special rule for services. This might allow for tax-planning opportunities given the possibility that services have the potential to be completely excluded under the "all or nothing" statute, resulting in a less-than-100% assignment across the states. Conversely, this same statute can represent a risk due to the potential for assignment of the entire receipt to Pennsylvania while, at the same time, part of the receipt is assigned elsewhere under another taxing state's rules, resulting in a more-than-100% assignment.

 

Consider, for example, a consulting firm that, for a fixed fee, provides a service that is performed in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If the bulk of the costs of performance were incurred in Pennsylvania, the entire receipt would be sourced to Pennsylvania under that state's "all or nothing" statutory language. In contrast, New Jersey would expect an assignment of some part of that same lump-sum receipt based on a reasonable apportionment method that represents the economic realities of the engagement. Clearly, in this scenario, more than 100% of the receipt would be assigned to the states involved. If the amounts were significant, the taxpayer might consider requesting the use of a more equitable allocation method in the state claiming 100% of the sale. Taxpayers and their advisers should keep in mind, however, that where the opposite happens (i.e., no part of the sale is assigned to a state), the tax authorities may impose reassignments more equitable to the state. This possibility should be considered before taking seemingly aggressive positions with regard to sales factor assignments. Nonetheless, practitioners should have ample opportunities to develop reasonable tax planning strategies that work towards limiting a firm's overall exposure to 100% sourcing of receipts, while still meeting states' expectations. Merely minimizing more-than-100% assignments alone can result in significant tax savings.

 

Conclusion

 

Assigning sales of services to various states for factor apportionment purposes is not necessarily obvious or uniform. 29 Careful research and application of the relevant state rules are required to properly handle service organization tax issues. The following steps will help in determining the source of sales:

(1) Ascertain whether the transaction actually involves services or tangible property.

(2) Understand the fundamental concepts regarding assignment of service income under UDITPA and the MTC regulations.

(3) Determine the states that are involved in the transactions.

(4) Research the specific states' laws and regulations.

(5) Develop the proper tracking mechanisms within the taxpayer's accounting systems and software in order to effectively track the metrics that will be needed to assign sales at the end of the tax period. The system should be implemented to capture all the information needed to comply with the rules for each applicable state.

(6) Determine if petitioning the state tax authorities is appropriate if significant disparities in sales assignments exist based on differing views of how the overall transactions and underlying income-producing activities might be construed by both the taxpayer and the state.

These steps will help ensure a more accurate determination of the source of sales receipts when dealing with service organizations doing business in multiple states.

 

Sidebar

Practice Note

 

A special rule in MTC Reg. IV.17 applies to the sourcing of receipts from the performance of personal services. Under this rule, generally, personal services provided in any single state are an income-producing activity separate from the personal services performed in another state, and the total receipts from those services are assigned to the states in proportion to the time spent in each state. Many states – even those not subscribing to the MTC – employ a similar approach.

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1.

While an understanding of multistate taxation concepts is essential, it is also helpful if accounting systems are in place that will capture the relevant information. The accountant needs to implement a system to allow for the proper reporting of income to the various states.

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2.

Not only corporations, but also limited liability companies (LLCs), partnerships, and sole proprietorships need to be sensitive to this issue.

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3.

In this regard, the Multistate Tax Commission Audit Manual states: "Personal services involve the creation of a product by employees of the taxpayer. An architect would perform a service by creating blueprints for a structure. The services is the blueprint work and the end product is the blueprints." MTC Audit Manual, "Sales/Receipts Factor," ¶1730.2(a). The manual further states: "Taxpayers whose activity is principally that of performing personal services present a different type of problem than do those who render only incidental personal services. The auditor must first identify the type of service involved and then assign the receipts from that service among the states in a proper ratio." Id., ¶1730.2(c).

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4.

Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady, 430 US 274, 51 L Ed 2d 326. See generally Lieberman, "Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady: How Many Parts Are There?," 3 JMT 4 (Mar/Apr 1993).

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5.

The appropriate rules then should be embedded in the accounting system software. It is up to the practitioner or the internal accounting staff to understand the rules in order to design and implement a system that will capture the relevant data and meet the reporting needs of a multistate, service-providing business.

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6.

 

15 USC §§381-384 (the "Interstate Commerce Tax Act"), restricts the power of the states to tax interstate commerce. Specifically, it prohibits a state from levying a net income tax on a business whose only activity in the state is the solicitation of orders for sales of tangible personal property, provided the orders are sent out of the state for acceptance and are filled by delivery from outside the state. P.L. 86-272 does not protect other types of activities in a state and does not apply to non-income taxes (e.g., sales or use taxes) or to the sale of intangibles. See Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue v. William Wrigley, Jr., Co., 505 US 214, 120 L Ed 2d 174, which generally is the only U.S. Supreme Court decision relating to the interpretation of P.L. 86-272. The case offers guidance as to which activities do or do not achieve tax nexus under P.L. 86-272. See Marcus and Lieberman, "Does Wrigley Clarify ‘Solicitation’ for Purposes of Taxing Interstate Commerce?," 2 JMT 148 (Sep/Oct 1992). See also Lieberman, "MTC Guidelines on P.L. 86-272 Implement the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in Wrigley," 5 JMT 52 (May/Jun 1995).

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7.

Payroll sourced to a state for purposes of the payroll factor is not necessarily the payroll that is subject to withholding tax in the state. Also, withholding may apply for nonresident employees engaged in activities in states where the employer-business has no offices or other facilities.

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8.

See, e.g., Goodman, Marcus, Wethekam, Hughes, and Browdy, "Single-Factor Sales Apportionment: A Tax Incentive for the Future," 7 JMT 196 (Nov/Dec 1997).

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9.

N.J. Rev. Stat. §54:10A-6 provides, in part: "In the case of a taxpayer which does not maintain a regular place of business outside this State other than a statutory office, the allocation factor shall be 100%." Under N.J. Admin. Code Reg. §18:7-7.2(a), a "regular place of business" is "any bona fide office (other than a statutory office), factory, warehouse, or other space of the taxpayer which is regularly maintained, occupied and used by the taxpayer in carrying on its business and in which one or more regular employees are in attendance."

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10.

N.J. Admin. Code Reg. §18:7-8.3(b). The credit must be computed using the lesser of the tax rates of the foreign state or the tax rate under the N.J. Corporation Business Tax Act.

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11.

Hellerstein and Hellerstein, State and Local Taxation, Cases and Materials, Sixth Edition (West Publishing Co., 1997), page 560.