New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance cannot impose a retroactive tax on certain corporate deals going back three and a half years, a divided state appeals panel has ruled, reversing a lower court judge.

The 4-1 Appellate Division, First Department, panel in Caprio v. Department of Taxation and Finance, 651176/11, held that applying the 2010 tax on sales of certain stock would violate taxpayers’ due process rights.