This article was originally published in The State and Local Tax Lawyer, Volume 11, 2006. The article was authored by Giles Sutton, Nicholas E. Ford, Jamie C. Yesnowitz, and Chris Hopkins, and is 24 pages in length.

ABA Editorial Board: Editor in Chief -- Gregory A. Nowak; Managing Editor -- Debra Silverman Herman; Primary Editors -- Brandee Tilman, Jeffrey C. Glickman

Georgetown Student Editorial Board: Managing Editor -- Nathan C. Brunette; Publications Editor -- Kelly Scindian

Note: The following is an excerpt from the introduction to the article as published in The State and Local Tax Lawyer. Gross receipts taxes have been part of the lexicon of taxation for as long as man has imposed taxation on commerce. Although it appears in many forms and is assigned different names such as excise, value-added, sales, customs and duties, and gross receipts taxes, the underlying mechanics are similar. The basic concept is that a taxing body imposes a tax, of whatever rate, on a transaction based on either the transaction's occurrence or the value of the transaction. While it is not intended to be an exhaustive study of all known gross receipts-based tax regimes, this Article explores recent developments in the area of state and local gross receipts taxes. Part II provides a brief overview of historically imposed gross receipts taxes. Part III addresses the recent trend among state and local jurisdictions towards various forms of gross receipts taxes and highlights the commonalities and distinctions between various regimes. Parts IV and V present potential planning issues surrounding the imposition of the new gross receipts taxes, and conclusions as to the impact, -- from an economic, policy, and tax planning perspective, -- that the movement toward gross receipts-type taxes will have on corporate America.