Tax Man Cometh to Visit Local Businesses

The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) is visiting, starting Jan. 8, the following El Dorado County Zip Codes: Pollock Pines (95726); Camino (95709); Placerville (95667); El Dorado (95623); El Dorado Hills (95762); and Shingle Springs (95682). The Board does not visit residential-based businesses.

Retailers received letters notifying them of upcoming visits from Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program (SCOP) teams. These visits are intended to educate retailers about properly reporting sales and use tax, increase compliance with tax laws, and assure the state’s tax system is fair and equal for all Californians.

BOE has sent 19,071 letters to business owners in the following zip codes: Menlo Park (94025), San Francisco (94110), Pollock Pines (95726), Camino (95709), Placerville (95667), El Dorado (95623), El Dorado Hills (95762), Shingle Springs (95682), Sunnyvale (94086), Santa Maria (93454), Scotts Valley (95066), La Cañada Flintridge (91011), Newport Beach (92663), Santa Ana (92704), Quail Valley (92587), San Diego (92108), Cabazon (92230), Whitewater (92282), National City (91950), Riverside (92504), Hemet (92545), and Julian (92036).

Seven SCOP teams located statewide (Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Van Nuys, Norwalk, Irvine and Riverside) conduct door-to-door, in-person visits based on zip code. They check sellers’ permits at stores and other known retail locations. They ask only business-related questions, and do not inquire about personal financial information. SCOP teams check that registered retailers, as well as service industry businesses, have appropriate permits and licenses. Businesses found to be out of compliance are given instructions on how to register with the BOE, and information about other necessary licenses. Those who operate their businesses from their homes are not visited by SCOP.

Since 2008, the BOE SCOP teams have visited more than 330,000 businesses statewide to verify that retailers are registered, and to make sure that noncompliant businesses do not have an unfair advantage over registered businesses that are reporting their sales and use taxes and/or fees to BOE.

BOE has found that only about 2 percent of businesses operating in California do so without permits or licenses that allow for collection of sales and use taxes, as well as other taxes and fees. However, noncompliance contributes to the more than $2 billion sales and use “tax gap” — the difference between the amount of taxes owed and the amount paid.

If business owners have questions, they may contact their local BOE SCOP Team or visit the SCOP Website.

 Prior Story: The Taxman Cometh to Pollock Pines, Camino, Placerville, El Dorado, El Dorado Hills & Shingle Springs http://www.inedc.com/1-2214