Louisiana Department of Revenue suspends 2015 Tax Amnesty program until Dec. 1

The Louisiana Department of Revenue announced today that Louisiana Tax Amnesty 2015 will be suspended through Nov. 30 and will resume on Dec. 1. The program will then run until December 31, 2015, which accounts for designated and legal holidays.
Upon discovering a mistake with the information included in some of the amnesty invitation letters, the department determined it was in the best interest of the state and taxpayers to suspend amnesty until corrected letters are mailed.
“We apologize to our taxpayers for this mistake and for any inconvenience that we may have caused them. LDR will exercise better quality assurance, review and control to prevent this type of human error from occurring again in the future,” Secretary of Revenue Tim Barfield said.
Impacted taxpayers will receive an updated letter from the department by Dec. 1. Any amnesty payments received during the past two days will be applied to the taxpayer’s account when the amnesty period resumes on Dec. 1. Beginning Nov. 23, taxpayers can call 1-866-782-9241 for more information about their amnesty account.
During the amnesty period, individual and business taxpayers are offered a fresh start to bring their delinquent tax accounts up to date by clearing unpaid tax bills and filing overdue state tax returns.
Amnesty will be granted for eligible taxes to qualified taxpayers who apply during the amnesty period and who agree to settle their accounts with the state by paying 100 percent of delinquent taxes, 83 percent of the remaining interest and 67 percent of the remaining penalties due. Once approved, the secretary of revenue shall waive the remaining 17 percent interest and 33 percent penalties.
The goal for the 2015 Tax Amnesty Program is $73 million, net of administrative costs and funds retained by the department as self-generated revenue.
The 2015 Tax Amnesty Program is the third and final effort permitted by the Louisiana Tax Delinquency Amnesty Act of 2013. After the conclusion of the 2015 amnesty period, there will be no new amnesty program offered by the Department of Revenue until at least 2025.