Corporate Tax Overview Offers Insight Into Pure E-Commerce Sales

State-by-state implications of “pure-e-commerce” sales and service transactions have been added to Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Catalyst, further expanding its detailed information and multi-jurisdictional analysis on a wide variety of tax topics. This corporate income tax overview of e-commerce sales is the first of its kind and an essential companion to the sales and use tax overview released in Checkpoint Catalyst last year.

Most state corporate income taxes were enacted for a brick-and-mortar world, but companies are increasingly engaging in a new breed of e-commerce transactions that are entirely electronic. These include downloads of music, videos and software; sales of remote access to software and apps; streaming entertainment; cloud computing services; digital storage; online education; and online research.

“The corporate income tax consequences of pure e-commerce transactions are often neglected due to their uncertainty and complexity, but these issues are vitally important to any company seeking to ascertain its tax exposure,” said Rebecca Newton-Clarke, an editor and author with the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters. “This is a tricky area, rife with pitfalls for companies. Our new overview provides crucial guidance and insights to help companies navigate this complicated area of tax law.”