Laws, Regulations and Annotations

Business Taxes Law Guide—Revision 2024

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38800. Offers in compromise. (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). Any 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 18.5 (commencing with Section 38101), or related interest, additions to tax, penalties, or other amounts assessed under this part.

(c) Offers in compromise shall be considered only for liabilities that were generated from persons who no longer harvest timber, or property owners that no longer harvest their property, except where the taxpayer making the offer has their primary residence located on the property that generated the timber tax liability.

(d) Offers in compromise shall not be considered where the taxpayer has been convicted of felony tax evasion under this part during the liability period.

(e) 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.

(f) 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.

(g) (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.

(h) 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.

(i) 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.

(j) 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 38705. No list shall be prepared and no releases distributed by the board in connection with these statements.

(k) Any 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 any person did any of the following acts regarding the making of the offer:

(A) Concealed from the board any property belonging to the estate of any taxpayer or other person liable for the tax.

(B) Received, withheld, destroyed, mutilated, or falsified any book, document, or record or made any 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.

(l) Any person who, in connection with any 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 any officer or employee of this state any property belonging to the estate of a taxpayer or other person liable in respect of the tax.

(2) Receives, withholds, destroys, mutilates, or falsifies any book, document, or record, or makes any false statement, relating to the estate or financial condition of the taxpayer or other person liable in respect of the tax.

(m) For purposes of this section, "person" means the taxpayer, any member of the taxpayer's family, any corporation, agent, fiduciary, or representative of, or any other individual or entity acting on behalf of, the taxpayer, or any other corporation or entity owned or controlled by the taxpayer, directly or indirectly, or that owns or controls the taxpayer, directly or indirectly.

History—Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 364 (AB 3076), in effect January 1, 2007. Stats. 2011, Ch. 15 (AB 109), in effect April 4, 2011, operative October 1, 2011, substituted "pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code" for "in the state prison" after "($50,000) or imprisoned" in subdivision (l).

Note.—Section 1 of Stats 2011, Ch. 15 (AB 109), in effect April 4, 2011, provided that this act is titled and may be cited as the 2011 Realignment Legislation addressing public safety.

Note.—Section 636 of Stats 2011, Ch. 15 (AB 109) in effect April 4, 2011, provided that this act will become operative no earlier than July 1, 2011, and only upon creation of a community corrections grant program to assist in implementing this act and upon an appropriation to fund the grant program.

Note.—The Community Corrections Grant Program referred to in SEC 636 of Stats. 2011, Ch. 15 (AB 109), as amended by SEC 68 of Stats. 2011, Ch. 39 (AB 117), was created by SEC 3 of Stats. 2011, Ch. 40 (AB 118), operative October 1, 2011.