On July 14, 2014, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed House Bill 4001, which requires the Commissioner of Revenue to establish a tax amnesty program. Since the signing of the bill in July, the Commissioner announced that the amnesty program will take place for two consecutive months during fiscal year 2015: September and October 2014.
The amnesty program will include several different types of taxes including sales and use tax, withholding income tax, pass-through entity, deeds excise tax, and others. One tax that is not included in the amnesty is the corporate excise tax.
In order to qualify for the amnesty program, a taxpayer has to be invited to participate; invitations will be mailed out starting September 2, 2014, and must do all of the following:
- File delinquent tax returns in a timely manner,
- Report the full tax liability on filed returns, and
- Pay any tax liability and interest due before October 31, 2014.
If a taxpayer qualifies for the program and satisfies the requirements above, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue will waive all penalties related to tax returns filed by the taxpayer during the amnesty period.
If you or someone you know is late filing a prior year’s Massachusetts tax return, please give Paresky Flitt & Company, LLP a call at 508-650-1122 so we can help you or someone you know avoid costly penalties.
Written by Ryan Godfrey