Financial Tools

Arkansas policymakers are preparing for a pivotal 2026 fiscal session, set to convene at noon on April 8, with pre-filing of appropriation bills beginning March 9. As lawmakers gather to address budget priorities, several significant tax policy changes are poised to reshape the state’s economic landscape. Recent legislation enacted in 2025 introduces new corporate incentives, expands sales and use tax exemptions for large-scale data centers, and modernizes Arkansas’ corporate income tax sourcing and nexus standards. Together, these measures signal a continued emphasis on economic development, competitiveness, and alignment with broader national tax trends.

As discussed in our last newsletter, Colorado was the first state to call a special session to address the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”). Since then, many states have either passed legislation or issued guidance to address its conformity to H.R. 1, the OBBBA.

Delaware called a special session on October 31, 2025, to address a potential multi-year revenue loss from rolling conformity to federal tax cuts under the OBBBA. On November 19, 2025, Governor Matt Meyer signed H.B. 255 to decouple from certain corporate tax provisions in the OBBBA. Specifically, the bill decoupled from the following: (1) expensing for domestic research and experimental expenditures made after December 31, 2021, but on or before December 31, 2024, to continue expensing in effect immediately before enactment of the OBBBA; (2) for property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2024, and before January 1, 2031, to continue amortization and depreciation under the IRC in effect immediately before the enactment of the OBBBA; and (3) for qualified production property placed in service before January 1, 2031, to continue amortization and depreciation under the IRC in effect immediately before the enactment of the OBBBA.