State Contacting Businesses to File Last Year’s Tax Returns

Sacramento – Franchise Tax Board (FTB) is contacting more than 90,000 California business entities that have not filed their 2011 state income tax returns.

Businesses contacted by FTB will have 30 days to file a tax return or show why there is no filing requirement. Taxpayers who do not file tax returns or demonstrate to FTB that they are not required to file will receive a tax assessment based on income and other information that was reported to FTB.

Each year FTB reviews more than 5 million income records received from the IRS, the State Employment Development Department, the State Board of Equalization, financial institutions, and other businesses. FTB matches this information against its tax records to identify noncompliance. Last year, FTB collected approximately $23 million from businesses that failed to file tax returns.

The failure to file tax returns contributes to the tax gap, defined as the difference between taxes owed and taxes paid.

FTB has more information for those receiving notices at ftb.ca.gov . Click on the Businesses tab and select Notices/Collections from the left side menu. Click on Notices and then More on Bills and Notices tab. Select: Respond to request or demand for tax return. Businesses can request more time to respond, retrieve information that can assist them in filing a tax return, request tax forms, learn about payment options, sign up to receive an email reminder to file, and much more. Information is also available by calling FTB at 866.204.7902.

Last year, business taxpayers filed 1.5 million tax returns for the 2011 tax year.

Editor’s Note: For specific county information, see the attached chart. Please call for city statistics.

For more information on other taxes and fees in California, visit: taxes.ca.gov.