Craig counsels businesses and individuals in a range of state and local tax issues, with a focus on New York State, New York City, New Jersey, and multistate tax issues.
Craig advises clients on all aspects of state and local tax from planning and compliance to controversy and litigation. He represents clients in disputes with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, New York City Department of Finance, and New Jersey Division of Taxation and is experienced in handling sales tax, corporate franchise tax, personal income tax, and residency audits.
Craig works closely with remote retailers and cloud-based software vendors on a variety of multistate tax compliance issues, including filing requirements, sales and use tax collection obligations, income allocation and apportionment, tax registrations, and applications for voluntary disclosure and other amnesty programs. Craig also spends significant time counseling businesses and individuals in the financial services sector on various multistate tax planning topics, including residency planning, income apportionment and allocation, state and city entity level taxes, and entity restructuring.
Craig has served as a contributing author or editor for several tax publications and treatises, including the American Bar Association’s Sales and Use Tax Deskbook.
Representative Work
Craig represents clients in all phases of administrative audit and appeal, in collection proceedings, in voluntary disclosure matters, and, if necessary, in litigation in administrative and state courts.
Recognitions
- Order of the Barristers
- Former executive articles editor, Brooklyn Law Review
- Top 10 Oralist Award, Northeast Regional Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition
News & Insights
- WebinarNovember 19, 2024 - January 9, 2025
- SeminarNovember 20, 2024 - November 22, 2024Crest Hollow Country Club, 8325 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury, NY 11797
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- SeminarTuesday, June 25 and Thursday, July 18605 3rd Ave., New York, New York
- Speaking EngagementThe Capitol Pressroom Podcast
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- WebinarOctober 25 - November 29, 2023
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- ArticleTax Notes State
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- SeminarJune 21 - August 2, 2023605 Third Avenue, New York, New York
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- AlertHodgson Russ LLP State & Local Tax Alert
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- AlertHodgson Russ State and Local Tax Alert
- SeminarJanuary 26, 2023 - February 24, 2023Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Miami, Sarasota, Naples, Florida
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- SeminarJune 15 - July 20, 2022NYC and Park Ridge, NJ
- ArticleTax Notes State
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- ArticleLaw360
- Blog Post
Since the enactment of New York State’s corporate tax reform legislation as part of the state’s 2014-2015 budget, the Tax Department has published several versions of proposed regulations, which provide additional draft guidance on the new law changes, including in the areas of nexus, net operating losses, income and capital definitions, and apportionment. On Friday, April 29, the Tax Department announced that it finally intends to begin the official State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA) process to formally adopt a version of the amended regulations.
- NewsHodgson Russ State & Local Tax Alert
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- SeminarMillennium Hotel Buffalo
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The end of 2020 is here. A time to reflect and appreciate the memories and blessings of the past...oh, never mind. I can't even fake it. 2020 is finally coming to a close. So long. Farewell. Good riddance.
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- NewsHodgson Russ Tristate Tax Alert
- WebinarOctober 21 & 28 and November 4 & 18
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- Blog Post
After a brief hiatus, NY Tax Minutes is back this month under the new moniker, NY Tax Talk. New name. Same approach. To give readers a one stop shop for recent New York state and city tax news.
- NewsHodgson Russ Tristate Tax Alert
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- WebinarWednesdays, May 6 - June 17
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- WebinarApril 6 & 13, 2020
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- WebinarApril 1 & 2, 2020
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- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
It seems that President Donald J. Trump often finds himself at the center of New York state tax news, and therefore at the center of our monthly "NY Tax Minutes" column. This month is no different. First, the president continues two separate lawsuits seeking to prevent disclosures of his personal income tax returns, and second, Trump, whose name has graced New York buildings and tabloid headlines for decades, recently declared that he plans to abandon his New York tax residency for the warm weather (and low taxes) of Florida.
- NewsLaw360
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
August is often a slow month in the state and local tax world, with attorneys, accountants and auditors looking to squeeze the last bit out of summer. But not everyone at the New York State Tax Department took a break this month. And our most seasonally appropriate update comes from the Tax Department’s August appearance at The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York. [1]
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
Every year, magazines and newspapers across the country release summer’s best beach reads — lists of what books and articles to pick up and read your way through vacation. But, if you’re like us, don’t you wish there was a list tailored just for tax professionals? Those of us looking for something relaxing to read on our summer vacations but that’s also tailored just for you? Well for that, there’s only one recommendation you need: this month’s edition of NY Tax Minutes.
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
The Fourth of July fireworks may be over but there’s still plenty to see on the New York tax front. In this month’s edition of NY Tax Minutes, we take a look at the Internal Revenue Service’s final state and local tax, or SALT, regulations addressing potential workarounds to the SALT deduction cap. We also highlight two noteworthy post- budget changes to New York’s tax law and look in on the past month’s important state tax decisions and opinions.
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
We’re back after a brief one month hiatus. One of your authors celebrated the birth of his first child in April, which led to some last- minute calls to duty on the home front. Your other author was at the ready to fill in, but he has 12 kids already (no joke), so we decided to dedicate April to our dependents (new and old), and to our clients. We’ll leave it to readers to guess which author has one mouth to feed and which has 12.
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- Blog Post
A significant benefit of using trusts is the ability to minimize state level income taxes. The availability of this strategy depends on the residence of the trust creator (the “settlor”); the residence of the trustee; the residence of the trust beneficiaries; the type of assets owned by the trust; and the type of income earned by the trust. When all of the factors align correctly, the trust settlor can minimize, or even eliminate, state level income tax on the trust assets.
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
As we finalize this month’s column, it appears that budget season here in New York state has finally come to a close, with the Governor and Legislature agreeing, on March 31, 2019, to a new $175 billion budget. The agreement came one day before the deadline for an on-time budget in order to meet the state’s next fiscal year, which begins April 1 In a March 31, 2019 press release,[1] Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced a plan that includes:
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This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
The past month was a busy one for New York tax updates, but don't worry, we have the highlights, and, as always, we're delivering the month's news in a way that's made for New Yorkers. Fast.
- NewsBuffalo Law Journal
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
The New Year is in full swing here at “NY Tax Minutes,” and we’re sticking with our resolution to deliver all the month’s New York City and state tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast.
- Press ReleasePress Release
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
It’s a new year here at “NY Tax Minutes,” but don’t worry, we’re still delivering all the month’s New York City and state tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast. But as we close the books on 2018 and look ahead to another year of tax updates, we’re adding a new wrinkle to this month’s column. We’re pulling out our crystal balls and predicting whether the news that brought 2018 to a close will continue into the New Year or whether we can turn the clock on these issues.
- Blog Post
This article originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
We’re back with the fifth installment of “NY Tax Minutes.” And once again, we’re delivering all the month’s New York City and state tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast.
- Blog Post
This originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
We’re back with the fourth installment of "NY Tax Minutes." And once again, we’re delivering all the month’s New York City and state tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast.
This month, we continue to chronicle New York’s response to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions; we highlight important takeaways from the attorney general’s recent $30 million settlement announcement with a hedge fund manager in a tax whistleblower action; and we cover the tax department’s draft amendments to the state business corporation franchise tax regulations dealing with declaring and paying estimated taxes. We also highlight this month’s new and noteworthy decisions from the Tax Appeals Tribunal.
- Blog Post
This originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
We’re back with the third installment of "NY Tax Minutes." And once again, we’re delivering all the month’s New York state and city tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast.
This month, we revisit New York’s ongoing battle with the federal government over the recently enacted $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions; we take a look at the importance of taxpayer testimony in domicile cases; we address the ever-growing list of non-audit related legal challenges facing taxpayers in New York state, including whistleblower lawsuits and class actions; and, lastly, we review New York City’s recent (better late than never) guidance on repatriated income for business taxpayers. - Press ReleasePress Release
- Blog Post
This originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
Well, thankfully, Law360 didn’t cancel our column after month one, so we’re back with the second installment of “NY Tax Minutes.” If we can make it here, we’ll make it anywhere!
Once again, we’re delivering all the month’s New York State tax news in a way that’s made for New Yorkers. Fast. This month, we cover the governor’s brash response to the IRS’s proposed end to one of New York’s SALT deduction cap workarounds and highlight the Tax Appeals Tribunal’s recent decision explaining the procedures for claiming sales and use tax refunds after a failure to properly protest an original assessment. We also cover two recent New York State Notices addressing the state’s treatment of IRC § 965 repatriation amounts, along with a recent Advisory Opinion on the proper (or improper) use of sales tax exemption certificates.
- Blog Post
This originally appeared in Law360 and is reprinted with permission.
Life moves fast in New York. So do taxes. New York state (and City) tax a lot of people, places and things. The state and city’s audit divisions and administrative appeal tribunals are both among the most active in the country. So how, you’re asking yourself, do I possibly keep up with all the headlines, rulings, opinions and law changes happening across the Empire State? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Once a month, your authors, two practicing tax attorneys (nerds) with ties all over the state (Tim was born and raised in Buffalo; Craig grew up on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, before moving to New York City) will give you a full update on everything New York tax. But we’ll also deliver the news in a way that’s made for life in New York: fast.
So, without further fanfare, we give you the first installment of "New York Tax Minutes." This month, we cover New York state’s deafening silence on the Wayfair ruling and the state’s pending lawsuit against the federal government over the recently enacted state and local tax deduction cap. We also highlight two recent New York state and city publications addressing some complicated apportionment issues surrounding hedge fund manager compensation.
- Blog Post
On June 27, 2018, the New York State Division of Tax Appeals and the Tax Appeals Tribunal (collectively “DTA”) sent its Annual Report for the Fiscal Year 2017--2018 to the Governor and to the heads of the Senate and Assembly. Each year, these reports contain some new and noteworthy figures. This year’s highlights include:
- NewsLaw360
- NewsBloomberg LawAmazon to Disclose N.Y. Third-Party Sellers’ Sales Tax-Related Data
- NewsJD SupraAmazon to Release Third-Party Seller Data to New York State Tax Department
- Blog Post
On May 15, 2018, Amazon Services, which assists third parties selling their products through the online Amazon Marketplace, sent an email notifying third-party sellers that “Amazon has received a valid and binding legal demand from the New York State Department of Revenue (DOR)” (we assume the request came from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance—the state agency responsible for administering tax laws in New York State). According to Amazon’s email, Amazon plans to release the following information to New York regarding its third-party sellers by June 1, 2018:
- Blog Post
Breaking up is hard to do. Or so the old Neil Sedaka song goes. And a new report from the New York City Comptroller’s Office suggests that when it comes to the love affair between New York City and the country’s highest-income earners, the song rings true.
- Blog Post
Most people’s understanding of the Internet extends about as far as their eyes can see. In other words, they know that if they type a few words into the little white box beneath the colorful Google logo, within a fraction of seconds, hundreds of thousands of (hopefully) helpful results will appear on the screen. And that’s awesome. But few people, myself included, fully understand what takes place beyond the keyboards, screens, and cords. In fact, many people are likely willfully blind to the back-end operations of the Internet. - Blog Post
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We have all heard the jokes. “How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb?” “Why won’t sharks attack lawyers?” “What’s the difference between an accountant and a lawyer?” Or, “How many lawyer jokes are there?” Well, actually, the last one’s easy. Only three. The rest are true stories.But despite the general public’s lampooning of attorneys, New York State taxpayers might have found a lawyer they can celebrate (in addition, of course, to their friends at Hodgson Russ). Meet Patrick J. Carr, a retired New York State attorney living in Florida. Last month, a state administrative law judge (ALJ) ruled that Mr. Carr did not have to pay a $68,000 tax bill for services rendered in Florida. Mr. Carr was a member of the New York and New Jersey state bars and was admitted pro hac vice in Florida (for non-lawyer readers, “pro hac vice” is a fancy Latin way of saying that an attorney who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is permitted to help litigate a particular case in that state). And although Mr. Carr did not perform any services or maintain any office in the state, New York attempted to tax his income solely because of his New York law license. Are you starting to root for Mr. Carr? Thankfully, however, ALJ Barbara Russo dismissed the state’s position and announced that “merely holding a license to practice in New York is not the equivalent of carrying on a profession in New York state.” So why did New York think that it had the right to tax Mr. Carr?
- Blog Post
In February, the New York Times published an 8,000-word investigation into wealthy foreigners buying New York City real estate and taking advantage of U.S. laws that allow them to set up shell companies in order to obscure their true identities. The article, entitled “Towers of Secrecy,” points to Russian mobsters, corrupt Colombian politicians, and polluting Indian mining magnates. This type of publicity doesn’t mean that every person who uses an LLC to purchase or sell a New York City apartment is an apparent Bond villain. But the Times piece does underscore a recent enhanced focus on LLCs’ role in New York City real estate, and anyone considering using an LLC to transfer property in the city should take special note of a recent change to the city’s recording procedures.
Civic
- Chair, Urban Justice Center’s Young Professional Board (former)
- Board Member, Brockville Rowing Club
- Council Member, Buffalo AKG Art Museum Convergence Council
Professional
- Princeton University Alumni Schools Committee of New York City
