In the latest head scratcher, through a pair of Declaratory Orders (“DO”) issued within eight months of each other, the Iowa Department of Revenue has determined that Pilates classes and certain spinning (cycling) classes are treated differently for purposes of sales tax.  According to the Department, one is taxable “commercial recreation” and the other is nontaxable “instruction in recreational activities.” I’ll let you guess.  The facts of the latest DO, which relates to spinning…

Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen has been ranked in the 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” list regionally in 26 practice areas.   This list recognizes firms who exhibit professional excellence with impressive ratings from their clients and peers. Ranked firms are presented in tiers on a national and/or metropolitan scale.  Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen received the following rankings in the 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms”: Metropolitan Tier 1 Des Moines Banking…

Attorneys David Repp, Ron Mountsier, and Cody Edwards will be presenting sessions at the Bloethe Tax School CLE for Iowa’s tax professionals Dec. 4-6. The three-day event takes place at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown and is sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association Tax Section. This year’s topics include discussions on retirement planning, tax penalties and notices, guardianship and conservatorship updates, non-profit considerations, depreciation and recapture and more. Click here for more details and…

On September 11, 2019, the District Court for Linn County determined that an Iowa nonprofit corporation, which is wholly owned by charitable institutions, is exempt from property tax under Iowa Code § 427.1(8).  In this case, Dickinson Law’s SALT team argued that the charitable nature of each of the Iowa nonprofit corporation’s members should “flow through,” or be attributed, to the nonprofit corporation. The Cedar Rapids Board of Review disagreed, arguing that, as a separate…

Dickinson Law is pleased to announce that Andrea Rastelli has joined the firm. Andrea is a recent Juris Doctor graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and holds a B.A. in International Relations and Latin American Studies from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Her legal training includes serving as an intern at John Deere Financial and Comcast Corporate, and as an extern at ACT where collectively she gained experience on issues such as…

As a general rule, gambling income is taxable, and with the advent of sports wagering in Iowa, now is a good time to review the rules. Most people know that you can deduct your gambling losses, but only to the extent of your gambling income.  So if you win $1,000 on one wager, but lose $2,000 on another, you can only deduct $1,000.  Losses do not, however, directly offset winnings. The IRS requires that you…

As a general rule, gambling income is taxable, and with the advent of sports wagering in Iowa, now is a good time to review the rules. Most people know that you can deduct your gambling losses, but only to the extent of your gambling income.  So if you win $1,000 on one wager, but lose $2,000 on another, you can only deduct $1,000.  Losses do not, however, directly offset winnings. The IRS requires that you…