tax.utah.gov Publication 2 Revised 4/10 Utah Taxpayer Bill of Rights Utah State Tax Commission 210 North 1950 West Salt Lake City, Utah 84134 If you need an accommodation under the Americans (801) 297-6299 with Disabilities Act, contact the Tax Commission 1-800-662-4335 at (801) 297-3811, or TDD (801) 297-2020. Please www.tax.utah.gov allow three working days for a response. Introduction Assessment and Deficiency Notices This publication explains your rights and responsibilities as a Assessment and defi ciency notices explain additional taxes, Utah taxpayer under Utah law and Tax Commission rules. penalties or interest, and give Tax Commission contact information. General Rights Taxpayer Advocate Program Not all problems can be resolved through normal channels. Professional Service You may ask for the help of a technical research agent if You have the right to have your problems resolved in a quick, you have an issue you have been unable to resolve through polite, uniform and professional manner. We evaluate our normal channels. employees on the quality of their contacts with you. Filing Extension Clear Information You have an automatic six-month extension to fi le your indi- You have the right to tax forms written in plain, understandable vidual income, fi duciary and corporate tax returns, and fi ve language. Please contact us if you see forms that are hard to months for partnership returns. This fi ling extension is not an understand or that do not contain enough information. extension to pay the tax. We will charge you a penalty if you do not pay the minimum tax, 90 percent of the current year’s Privacy and Confidentiality tax or 100 percent of the prior year’s tax by the original re- You have the right to have your tax returns and other infor- turn due date. State income tax withheld from your paycheck mation kept secure and confi dential. is treated as payment. Interest will accrue on unpaid tax from the original fi ling due Reliance on Written Advice date until the tax is paid in full. If you give the Tax Commission suffi cient, accurate informa- If you need to extend the fi ling date for tax returns (other tion and receive written advice that is wrong, you may not than individual income, fi duciary, partnership and corporate have to pay penalties or interest resulting from that incorrect taxes), you must apply in writing to the Tax Commission advice. See Pub 17, Waivers. before the return due date. Suits Against the Tax Commission Refund Claims If the Tax Commission or one of its employees intentionally The Tax Commission will refund tax overpayments in a rea- or recklessly ignores published procedures, laws or rules, sonable period of time after you fi le the original return. You you have the right to bring a civil suit against the Tax Com- can claim a refund for a past tax year by fi ling an amended mission. In this suit, you may recover damages and costs up return within: to $100,000. However, if the court fi nds your suit is frivolous, you may receive a penalty of up to $10,000. • three years from the original return fi ling date, or • two years from the date the tax was paid (whichever is Improperly Filed Liens later). In the event a lien is improperly fi led against your property, Contact the Tax Commission for refund information on taxes you have the right to have that lien withdrawn. other than individual income tax. |
Audits Appeals Procedures Audit Location Appeals Tax audits are done at the Tax Commission offi ces or at the You may fi le an appeal if you disagree with a Tax Commis- taxpayer’s location. sion action. You may also appeal: • Property tax decisions of the local boards of equalization Audit Interview • Centrally assessed property tax assessments The Tax Commission or taxpayer may request an audit interview to get audit information. During the interview, the auditor will explain the process. The following rights apply to Representation all audit interviews: You may represent yourself or have someone represent you at every stage of the appeal. 1) Whenever possible, the Tax Commission will work with you to schedule an audit interview. Filing an Appeal 2) You may record your audit interview. You must appeal in writing, within: 3) An attorney or representative with your power of attorney • 30 days of the notice date on the action you are challeng- may represent you. ing, or • 90 days of the notice date on the action if you are outside Notice of Audit Results the United States. You will receive a Statutory Notice after we fi nish the audit of your account. The Statutory Notice is a legal and binding Include the following information in your appeal: statement of your tax liability. If you do not agree with the 1) your name, address and daytime phone number; Statutory Notice, you may request a division conference to 2) the tax type, the tax period and the amount of tax, pen- discuss the issues. You may appeal the notice if the division alty, interest or other issue in dispute; conference does not resolve the matter. You must appeal in writing within 30 days of the Statutory Notice date. See Ap- 3) the agency’s fi le or other reference number, if known; peals Procedures, below. 4) a copy of the letter or document you are appealing; 5) the relief or action sought; Collections Procedures 6) a statement of facts, summary of arguments and authori- ties relied upon, including any laws or rules, forming the Collections Process basis for relief or action you are seeking; and The Taxpayer Services Division collects past due taxes, 7) the names and addresses of everyone receiving a copy audit defi ciencies, penalties and interest. We will mail letters of the appeal. or billings of past due amounts to your address on record. You must notify the Tax Commission of all address changes. You can get form TC-738, Petition for Redetermination, Agents may also contact you by phone or in person to re- at tax.utah.gov/forms, or by calling or visiting one of our offi ces. solve your debt. (See Payment Agreements, below.) The Tax Commission may fi le a court warrant to place a public lien or judgment on your real and personal property if Appeal Proceedings you don’t pay your tax. Liens may hurt your credit rating. We The steps in your appeal proceedings depend on the type and may also use a lien to garnish your wages, bank accounts complexity of your appeal. They may include: or other real property. When a corporation, LLC or LLP fails to collect and pay trust taxes, we will fi le liens against all Status and Scheduling Conferences responsible persons. See Utah Code §59-1-302. You may have to appear for a status or scheduling conference. Conferences are held to cover any issues that may help speed up the appeal process. Division Conference You may speak with the agent handling your account or that Initial Hearing agent’s supervisor at any time during the collection process. An initial hearing may be held to try resolving the dispute In certain cases, you may have the right to begin the appeals without a formal hearing. Status and scheduling conferences process. See Appeals Procedures, below. may be held at the same time as the initial hearing. Parties may agree to a mediation conference instead of the initial Payment Agreements hearing. In some cases, the Tax Commission may make a short-term agreement with you to pay your taxes, penalties and interest. Hearings We may, however, revise or cancel a payment agreement if: If the parties waive the initial hearing or if either party appeals • your fi nancial condition changes, the decision from the initial hearing, we will schedule a formal hearing. You will be given the hearing date at least 10 days • you gave incorrect information about your fi nancial condi- in advance. The Tax Commission records all formal hearings. tion, or You have the right to buy a recording of your hearing. • you do not meet the terms of the agreement. You have the right to reasonable notice if we revise or cancel your payment agreement. 2 page 2 |
Agency Review Taxpayer Assistance The Commission will automatically review the hearing of- You can get help at any of the following locations. fi cer’s order. You do not need to petition for agency review. Salt Lake City (main office) Written Order Utah State Tax Commission You will receive a written order within a reasonable time after 210 North 1950 West the appeal. This order will give you the Commission’s deci- Salt Lake City, UT 84134 sion and further appeal rights. 801-297-2200 or 1-800-662-4335 Agency Reconsideration You have the right to fi le a petition for reconsideration if you: Ogden • believe there has been a mistake of law or fact, or 2540 Washington Blvd., 6th Floor • have newly discovered evidence that was not available at Ogden, UT 84401 the time of the hearing. 801-626-3460 You must fi le a petition detailing the basis of your request Provo within 20 days of the Commission order date. Provo Regional Center 150 East Center Street, Suite 1300 Appellate Review Provo, UT 84606 You have the right to judicial review of the Commission’s fi nal 801-374-7070 decision by the District Court or Utah Supreme Court. You must post security or obtain a waiver to request this appeal. Washington County See Utah Code §59-1-611. 100 South 5300 West Hurricane, UT 84737 435-251-9520 2 page 3 |