Bio

Pillsbury partner Craig Becker resolves state and local tax (SALT) issues, focusing on property taxes, transaction taxes, gross receipts taxes, excise taxes, income taxes and employment taxes. He litigates ongoing tax controversies at both the administrative and judicial levels, helps minimize tax exposure in purchase and sale transactions, and assists clients in managing audits and compliance risks. Craig serves as Vice President of the California Alliance of Taxpayer Advocates (CATA). Craig’s SALT practice focuses on property taxes and transaction taxes. He handles property tax assessments for manufacturing and industrial facilities, power generating facilities, port properties and shipping terminals, corporate campuses, office buildings, apartment buildings, senior housing, and retail properties. He has extensive property tax experience with mineral reserves and renewable energy (wind, solar and geothermal), including California’s solar assessment exclusion. Craig is conversant in California’s complex Proposition 13 change in ownership rules, California assessment exclusions and exemptions, and realty transfer taxes. He helps clients preserve and secure favorable assessment limits and assessment exclusions, and minimize realty transfer taxes by structuring transactions to avoid Proposition 13 reassessments. Craig’s work also extends to state and local transaction and gross receipts taxes, where he helps clients minimize exposure through exemptions, electronic transfers, purchase price allocations and indirect asset transfers through entities. Craig represents taxpayers in state and local tax audits and litigates disputes through administrative appeals at local boards, administrative agencies and the state courts. Craig regularly appears before California Assessment Appeals Boards, the California State Board of Equalization, and the California Courts.