As part of the 2012/2013 budget bill, Ohio has authorized a general amnesty for selected state taxes, including personal income, school district, sales and commercial activity taxes.
This is an attractive amnesty program, although it does have one significant drawback. Under the program Ohio will abate all penalties and one-half the interest. Taxes eligible for the amnesty must have been due and payable as of May 1, 2011. This means that a 2010 individual income tax will be eligible (as it was due April 15, 2011), but a May 2011 sales tax return would not (as it was due June 23, 2011). In addition, you cannot have been previously contacted by Ohio.
Ohio expects full payment when you file these tax returns. Remember – this is a revenue raiser for the state.
The significant drawback? The general amnesty window is very brief: from May 1 to June 15, 2012.
There is a separate use tax amnesty that runs from October 1, 2011 to May 1, 2013.
Note: Use tax applies to purchases of taxable products or taxable services where the seller did not collect the Ohio sales tax. The use tax applies both to individuals and businesses. The use tax is the cousin to the Ohio sales tax. It serves to prohibit one from avoiding Ohio sales tax by purchasing items from another state (free of sales tax) and then bringing them into Ohio.
If one pays all use tax due on or after January 1, 2009, Ohio will waive or abate use tax owed for prior periods. There is also a non-interest payment program available for businesses not previously registered for use tax, although this option requires an officer to personally guarantee the tax debt. On the plus side, Ohio will allow the business up to seven years to pay the back taxes. Once again, you cannot have been previously contacted by Ohio.
