60637
. (a) (1) Beginning on January 1, 2007, the executive director
and chief counsel of the board, or their delegates, may compromise
any final tax liability where the reduction of tax is seven thousand
five hundred dollars ($7,500) or less.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), the board, upon
recommendation by its executive director and chief counsel, jointly,
may compromise a final tax liability involving a reduction in tax in
excess of seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500). A
recommendation for approval of an offer in compromise that is not
either approved or disapproved within 45 days of the submission of
the recommendation shall be deemed approved.
(3) The board, itself, may by resolution delegate to the executive
director and the chief counsel, jointly, the authority to compromise
a final tax liability in which the reduction of tax is in excess of
seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500), but less than ten
thousand dollars ($10,000).
(b) For purposes of this section, "a final tax liability" means
any final tax liability arising under Part 31 (commencing with
Section 60001), or related interest, additions to tax, penalties, or
other amounts assessed under this part.
(c) (1) Offers in compromise shall be considered only for
liabilities that were generated from a business that has been
discontinued or transferred, where the taxpayer making the offer no
longer has a controlling interest or association with the transferred
business or has a controlling interest or association with a similar
type of business as the transferred or discontinued business.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a qualified final tax liability
may be compromised regardless of whether the business has been
discontinued or transferred or whether the taxpayer has a controlling
interest or association with a similar type of business as the
transferred or discontinued business. All other provisions of this
section that apply to a final tax liability shall also apply to a
qualified final tax liability, and a compromise shall not be made
under this subdivision unless all other requirements of this section
are met. For purposes of this subdivision, a "qualified final tax
liability" means any of the following:
(A) That part of a final tax liability, including related
interest, additions to tax, penalties, or other amounts assessed
under this part, arising from a transaction or transactions in which
the board finds no evidence that the supplier collected diesel fuel
tax reimbursement from the purchaser or other person and which was
determined by the board against the taxpayer under Article 2
(commencing with Section 60301), Article 3 (commencing with Section
60310), Article 5 (commencing with Section 60350), or Article 6
(commencing with Section 60360) of Chapter 6.
(B) A final tax liability, including related interest, additions
to tax, penalties, or other amounts assessed under this part, arising
under Article 6 (commencing with Section 60471) of Chapter 7.
(C) That part of a final tax liability for diesel fuel tax,
including related interest, additions to tax, penalties, or other
amounts assessed under this part, determined under Article 2
(commencing with Section 60301), Article 3 (commencing with Section
60310), Article 5 (commencing with Section 60350), and Article 6
(commencing with Section 60360) of Chapter 6 against an exempt bus
operator, government entity, or qualified highway vehicle operator
who used dyed diesel fuel on the highway.
(3) A qualified final tax liability may not be compromised with
any of the following:
(A) A taxpayer who previously received a compromise under
paragraph (2) for a liability, or a part thereof, arising from a
transaction or transactions that are substantially similar to the
transaction or transactions attributable to the liability for which
the taxpayer is making the offer.
(B) A business that was transferred by a taxpayer who previously
received a compromise under paragraph (2) and who has a controlling
interest or association with the transferred business, when the
liability for which the offer is made is attributable to a
transaction or transactions substantially similar to the transaction
or transactions for which the taxpayer's liability was previously
compromised.
(C) A business in which a taxpayer who previously received a
compromise under paragraph (2) has a controlling interest or
association with a similar type of business for which the taxpayer
received the compromise, when the liability of the business making
the offer arose from a transaction or transactions substantially
similar to the transaction or transactions for which the taxpayer's
liability was previously compromised.
(d) The board may, in its discretion, enter into a written
agreement which permits the taxpayer to pay the compromise in
installments for a period not exceeding one year. The agreement may
provide that such installments shall be paid by electronic funds
transfers or any other means to facilitate the payment of each
installment.
(e) Except for any recommendation for approval as specified in
subdivision (a), the members of the State Board of Equalization shall
not participate in any offer in compromise matters pursuant to this
section.
(f) A taxpayer that has received a compromise under paragraph (2)
of subdivision (c) may be required to enter into any collateral
agreement that is deemed necessary for the protection of the
interests of the state. A collateral agreement may include a
provision that allows the board to reestablish the liability, or any
portion thereof, if the taxpayer has sufficient annual income during
the succeeding five-year period. The board shall establish criteria
for determining "sufficient annual income" for purposes of this
subdivision.
(g) A taxpayer that has received a compromise under paragraph (2)
of subdivision (c) shall file and pay by the due date all
subsequently required returns for a five-year period from the date
the liability is compromised, or until the taxpayer is no longer
required to file returns, whichever period is earlier.
(h) Offers in compromise shall not be considered where the
taxpayer has been convicted of felony tax evasion under this part
during the liability period.
(i) For amounts to be compromised under this section, the
following conditions shall exist:
(1) The taxpayer shall establish that:
(A) The amount offered in payment is the most that can be expected
to be paid or collected from the taxpayer's present assets or
income.
(B) The taxpayer does not have reasonable prospects of acquiring
increased income or assets that would enable the taxpayer to satisfy
a greater amount of the liability than the amount offered, within a
reasonable period of time.
(2) The board shall have determined that acceptance of the
compromise is in the best interest of the state.
(j) A determination by the board that it would not be in the best
interest of the state to accept an offer in compromise in
satisfaction of a final tax liability shall not be subject to
administrative appeal or judicial review.
(k) (1) Offers for liabilities with a fraud or evasion penalty
shall require a minimum offer of the unpaid tax and fraud or evasion
penalty.
(2) The minimum offer may be waived if it can be shown that the
taxpayer making the offer was not the person responsible for
perpetrating the fraud or evasion. This authorization to waive only
applies to partnership accounts where the intent to commit fraud or
evasion can be clearly attributed to a partner of the taxpayer.
(l) When an offer in compromise is either accepted or rejected, or
the terms and conditions of a compromise agreement are fulfilled,
the board shall notify the taxpayer in writing. In the event an offer
is rejected, the amount posted will either be applied to the
liability or refunded, at the discretion of the taxpayer.
(m) When more than one taxpayer is liable for the debt, such as
with spouses or partnerships or other business combinations,
including, but not limited to, taxpayers who are liable through dual
determination or successor's liability, the acceptance of an offer in
compromise from one liable taxpayer shall reduce the amount of the
liability of the other taxpayers by the amount of the accepted offer.
(n) Whenever a compromise of tax or penalties or total tax and
penalties in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) is approved, there
shall be placed on file for at least one year in the office of the
executive director of the board a public record with respect to that
compromise. The public record shall include all of the following
information:
(1) The name of the taxpayer.
(2) The amount of unpaid tax and related penalties, additions to
tax, interest, or other amounts involved.
(3) The amount offered.
(4) A summary of the reason why the compromise is in the best
interest of the state.
The public record shall not include any information that relates
to any trade secrets, patent, process, style of work, apparatus,
business secret, or organizational structure, that if disclosed,
would adversely affect the taxpayer or violate the confidentiality
provisions of Section 60609. A list shall not be prepared and
releases shall not be distributed by the board in connection with
these statements.
(o) A compromise made under this section may be rescinded, all
compromised liabilities may be reestablished, without regard to any
statute of limitations that otherwise may be applicable, and no
portion of the amount offered in compromise refunded, if either of
the following occurs:
(1) The board determines that a person did any of the following
acts regarding the making of the offer:
(A) Concealed from the board property belonging to the estate of a
taxpayer or other person liable for the tax.
(B) Received, withheld, destroyed, mutilated, or falsified a book,
document, or record or made a false statement, relating to the
estate or financial condition of the taxpayer or other person liable
for the tax.
(2) The taxpayer fails to comply with any of the terms and
conditions relative to the offer.
(p) A person who, in connection with an offer or compromise under
this section, or offer of that compromise to enter into that
agreement, willfully does either of the following shall be guilty of
a felony and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than fifty
thousand dollars ($50,000) or imprisoned pursuant to subdivision (h)
of Section 1170 of the Penal Code, or both, together with the costs
of investigation and prosecution:
(1) Conceals from an officer or employee of this state property
belonging to the estate of a taxpayer or other person liable in
respect of the tax.
(2) Receives, withholds, destroys, mutilates, or falsifies a book,
document, or record, or makes a false statement, relating to the
estate or financial condition of the taxpayer or other person liable
in respect of the tax.
(q) For purposes of this section, "person" means the taxpayer, a
member of the taxpayer's family, a corporation, agent, fiduciary, or
representative of, or another individual or entity acting on behalf
of, the taxpayer, or another corporation or entity owned or
controlled by the taxpayer, directly or indirectly, or that owns or
controls the taxpayer, directly or indirectly.
(r) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2018, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends
that date.