30281-30285

REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE
SECTION 30281-30285




30281.  (a) Any person who fails to pay any tax, except a tax
determined by the board under Article 2 (commencing with Section
30201) or Article 3 (commencing with Section 30221), within the time
required shall pay a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the tax,
in addition to the tax, plus interest at the modified adjusted rate
per month, or fraction thereof, established pursuant to Section
6591.5, from the date on which the tax became due and payable until
the date of payment.
   (b) Any person who fails to file a return in accordance with the
due date set forth in Section 30181 or Section 30183, shall pay a
penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the tax with respect to the
period for which the return is required.
   (c) The penalties imposed by this section shall be limited to a
maximum of 10 percent of the tax for which the return is required for
any one return.



30281.5.  (a) If the board finds, taking into account all facts and
circumstances, that it is inequitable to compute interest at the
modified adjusted rate per month or fraction thereof, as defined in
subdivision (b) of Section 6591.5, interest shall be computed at the
modified adjusted daily rate from the date on which the tax was due
until the date of payment, if all of the following occur:
   (1) The payment of tax was made one business day after the date
the tax was due.
   (2) The person was granted relief from all penalties that applied
to that payment of tax.
   (3) The person files a request for an oral hearing before the
board.
   (b) For purposes of this section, "modified adjusted daily rate"
means the modified adjusted rate per annum as defined in subdivision
(a) of Section 6591.5 determined on a daily basis by dividing the
modified adjusted rate per annum by 365.
   (c) For purposes of this section, "board" means the members of the
State Board of Equalization meeting as a public body.
   (d) For purposes of this section, "business day" means any day
other than a Saturday, Sunday, or any day designated as a state
holiday.
   (e) This section shall not apply to any payment made pursuant to a
deficiency determination, a determination where no report or return
has been filed, or a jeopardy determination issued by the board.
   (f) This section shall only apply to electronic payments of taxes.
   (g) This section shall be operative only until January 1, 2016.



30282.  (a) If the board finds that a person's failure to make a
timely report or payment is due to reasonable cause and circumstances
beyond the person's control, and occurred notwithstanding the
exercise of ordinary care and in the absence of willful neglect, the
person may be relieved of the penalty provided by Sections 30171,
30190, 30221, 30264, and 30281.
   (b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), any person seeking to
be relieved of the penalty shall file with the board a statement
under penalty of perjury setting forth the facts upon which he or she
bases his or her claim for relief.
   (c) The board shall establish criteria that provide for efficient
resolution of requests for relief pursuant to this section.




30283.  If the board finds that a person's failure to make a timely
return or payment was due to a disaster, and occurred notwithstanding
the exercise of ordinary care and the absence of willful neglect,
the person may be relieved of the interest provided by Sections
30171, 30185, 30190, 30223, and 30281.
   Any person seeking to be relieved of the interest shall file with
the board a statement under penalty of perjury setting forth the
facts upon which he or she bases his or her claim for relief.




30283.5.  (a) The board, in its discretion, may relieve all or any
part of the interest imposed on a person by this part where the
failure to pay tax is due in whole or in part to an unreasonable
error or delay by an employee of the board acting in his or her
official capacity.
   (b) For purposes of this section, an error or delay shall be
deemed to have occurred only if no significant aspect of the error or
delay is attributable to an act of, or a failure to act by, the
taxpayer.
   (c) Any person seeking relief under this section shall file with
the board a statement under penalty of perjury setting forth the
facts on which the claim for relief is based and any other
information which the board may require.
   (d) The board may grant relief only for interest imposed on tax
liabilities that arise during taxable periods commencing on or after
January 1, 2000.


30284.  (a) If the board finds that a person's failure to make a
timely report, return, or payment is due to the person's reasonable
reliance on written advice from the board, the person may be relieved
of the taxes imposed by this part and any penalty or interest
thereto.
   (b) For purposes of this section, a person's failure to make a
timely report, return, or payment shall be considered to be due to
reasonable reliance on written advice from the board, only if the
board finds that all of the following conditions are satisfied:
   (1) The person requested in writing that the board advise him or
her whether a particular activity or transaction is subject to tax
under this part. The specific facts and circumstances of the activity
or transaction shall be fully described in the request.
   (2) The board responded in writing to the person regarding the
written request for advice, stating whether or not the described
activity or transaction is subject to tax, or stating the conditions
under which the activity or transaction is subject to tax.
   (3) The liability for taxes applied to a particular activity or
transaction which occurred before either of the following:
   (A) Before the board rescinded or modified the advice so given, by
sending written notice to the person of the rescinded or modified
advice.
   (B) Before a change in statutory or constitutional law, a change
in the board's regulations, or a final decision of a court, which
renders the board's earlier written advice no longer valid.
   (c) Any person seeking relief under this section shall file with
the board all of the following:
   (1) A copy of the person's written request to the board and a copy
of the board's written advice.
   (2) A statement under penalty of perjury setting forth the facts
on which the claim for relief is based.
   (3) Any other information which the board may require.
   (d) Only the person making the written request shall be entitled
to rely on the board's written advice to that person.




30285.  (a) Under regulations prescribed by the board, if:
   (1) A tax liability under this part was understated by a failure
to file a return or report, or both, required to be filed under this
part, by the omission of an amount properly includable therein, or by
erroneous deductions or credits claimed on a return or report, or
both, and the understatement of tax liability is attributable to one
spouse; or any amount of the tax reported on a return or report, or
both, was unpaid and the nonpayment of the reported tax liability is
attributable to one spouse.
   (2) The other spouse establishes that he or she did not know of,
and had no reason to know of, that understatement or nonpayment.
   (3) Taking into account whether or not the other spouse
significantly benefited directly or indirectly from the
understatement or the nonpayment and taking into account all other
facts and circumstances, it is inequitable to hold the other spouse
liable for the deficiency in tax attributable to that understatement
or nonpayment, then the other spouse shall be relieved of liability
for tax (including interest, penalties, and other amounts) to the
extent that the liability is attributable to that understatement or
nonpayment of tax.
   (b) For purposes of this section, the determination of the spouse
to whom items of understatement or nonpayment are attributable shall
be made without regard to community property laws.
   (c) This section shall apply to all calendar months subject to the
provisions of this part, but shall not apply to any calendar month
that is more than five years from the final date on the board-issued
determination, five years from the return or report due date for
nonpayment on a return or report, or one year from the first contact
with the spouse making a claim under this section; or that has been
closed by res judicata, whichever is later.
   (d) For purposes of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), "reason to
know" means whether or not a reasonably prudent person would have had
reason to know of the understatement or nonpayment.
   (e) For purposes of this section, with respect to a failure to
file a return or report, or both, or an omission of an item from the
return or report, or both, "attributable to one spouse" may be
determined by whether a spouse rendered substantial service as a
distributor of cigarettes or tobacco products or who sells or accepts
orders for cigarettes or tobacco products to be transported to a
consumer in this state from somewhere out of this state to which the
understatement is attributable. If neither spouse rendered
substantial services as a distributor, then the attribution of
applicable items of understatement shall be treated as community
property. An erroneous deduction or credit shall be attributable to
the spouse who caused that deduction or credit to be entered on the
return or report, or both.
   (f) Under procedures prescribed by the board, if, taking into
account all the facts and circumstances, it is inequitable to hold
the other spouse liable for any unpaid tax or any deficiency (or any
portion of either) attributable to any item for which relief is not
available under subdivision (a), the board may relieve the other
spouse of that liability.
   (g) For purposes of this section, registered domestic partners, as
defined in Section 297 of the Family Code, have the same rights,
protections, and benefits as provided by this section, and are
subject to the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties as
imposed by this section, as are granted to and imposed upon spouses.
   (h) The relief provided by this section shall apply retroactively
to liabilities arising prior to the effective date of this section.