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                    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.



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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.

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  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

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