Iowa Supreme Court upholds taxation of KFC
Recent Cases
The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a decision to levy corporate income taxes against fried chicken giant KFC.
At question is whether the state can impose income tax on revenue received by a company that doesn't have a presence in Iowa. KFC doesn't own any restaurants or have employees in Iowa. All KFC's in the state are owned by independent franchisers.
The Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance assessed KFC more than $248,000 for unpaid corporate income taxes in 2001.
Mark Schuling, the agency's director, says any corporation that collects revenue in Iowa should pay taxes.
KFC Corp., whose parent company is Louisville, Ky.-based Yum Brands Inc., challenged the assessment saying under Iowa law it was not subject to taxes because it didn't have property in the state.
Related listings
-
Florida AG urges spill victims to get lawyers
Recent Cases 12/19/2010Attorneys general in four Gulf Coast states are urging oil spill victims to check with lawyers before settling claims against BP PLC.They issued consumer advisories Friday in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. Earlier this week Claims Administrat...
-
SD attorney on trial on child porn charges
Recent Cases 12/16/2010The lawyer for a Sioux Falls defense attorney being tried on child pornography charges told a federal court jury that Leo Flynn sought out the material so he could give legal advice to clients.The 62-year-old Flynn is facing charges including possess...
-
Lawsuit seeks to keep 3 Iowa justices on bench
Recent Cases 12/16/2010The retention vote in which three Iowa Supreme Court justices were ousted was illegal, according to a lawsuit seeking to keep the three justices from being tossed from the bench. The lawsuit claims the vote violated the Iowa Constitution, which requi...
Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.