Richard H. Maurer ,left, and Jennifer W. Brown ,right, of Eastburn and Gray. Courtesy photos

Speakers

Two Eastburn and Gray attorneys presented at the 2024 Pennsylvania Business Privilege and Mercantile Tax Collectors Association on Oct. 24 in State College, Pennsylvania.

Jennifer W. Brown and Richard H. Maurer, both attorneys in the firm's litigation practice group, presented a seminar titled, "Mercantile and Business Privilege Litigation Issues" where they covered current litigation trends facing municipalities throughout the Commonwealth. Increasingly, dissatisfied taxpayers go outside the jurisdiction to hire counsel, and some firms employ a "shock and awe" approach, seeking to overwhelm a taxing authority with lengthy court filings and burdensome discovery. Brown and Maurer described effective responses, drawn from recent cases, to these tactics.

Brown is an attorney in the firm's municipal law and taxation practice groups where she practices exclusively in municipal business tax compliance and enforcement. The majority of Brown's practice is in representing taxing authorities in the application and administration of their taxes and representing local tax review boards or serving as a hearing officer for business privilege tax appeals. On occasion, especially where municipalities have overreached and fairness requires an experienced municipal tax attorney on the taxpayer's side, she represents private businesses in local business privilege and mercantile tax matters.