The Florida Senate

202.28  Credit for collecting tax; penalties.--

(1)  Except as otherwise provided in s. 202.22, for the purpose of compensating persons providing communications services for the keeping of prescribed records, the filing of timely tax returns, and the proper accounting and remitting of taxes, persons collecting taxes imposed under this chapter and under s. 203.01(1)(a)2. shall be allowed to deduct 0.75 percent of the amount of the tax due and accounted for and remitted to the department.

(a)  The collection allowance may not be granted, nor may any deduction be permitted, if the required tax return or tax is delinquent at the time of payment.

(b)  The department may deny the collection allowance if a taxpayer files an incomplete return.

1.  For the purposes of this chapter, a return is incomplete if it is lacking such uniformity, completeness, and arrangement that the physical handling, verification, review of the return, or determination of other taxes and fees reported on the return can not be readily accomplished.

2.  The department shall adopt rules requiring the information that it considers necessary to ensure that the taxes levied or administered under this chapter are properly collected, reviewed, compiled, reported, and enforced, including, but not limited to, rules requiring the reporting of the amount of gross sales; the amount of taxable sales; the amount of tax collected or due; the amount of lawful refunds, deductions, or credits claimed; the amount claimed as the dealer's collection allowance; the amount of penalty and interest; and the amount due with the return.

(c)  The collection allowance and other credits or deductions provided in this chapter shall be applied to the taxes reported for the jurisdiction previously credited with the tax paid.

(2)(a)  Any person who is required to make a return or pay the taxes imposed by this chapter who fails to timely file such return or fails to pay the taxes due within the time required, in addition to all other penalties provided by law, is subject to a specific penalty in the amount of 10 percent of any unpaid tax if the failure is for not more than 30 days, and an additional 10 percent of any unpaid tax for each additional 30 days, or fraction thereof, during which the failure continues, not to exceed a total penalty of 50 percent, in the aggregate, of any unpaid tax.

(b)  Any person who knowingly and with a willful intent to evade any tax imposed under this chapter fails to file six consecutive returns as required by law commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083

(c)  Any person who makes a false or fraudulent return with a willful intent to evade payment of any tax or fee imposed under this chapter is liable, in addition to the other penalties provided by law, for a specific penalty of 100 percent of the tax bill or fee, and:

1.  If the total amount of unreported taxes or fees is less than $300:

a.  Such person commits, for the first offense, a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083

b.  Such person commits, for the second offense, a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083

c.  Such person commits, for the third and subsequent offenses, a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084

2.  If the total amount of unreported taxes or fees is $300 or more but less than $20,000, such person commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084

3.  If the total amount of unreported taxes or fees is $20,000 or more but less than $100,000, such person commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084

4.  If the total amount of unreported taxes or fees is $100,000 or more, such person commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084

(d)  If a dealer fails to separately report and identify local communications services taxes on the appropriate return schedule, the dealer shall be subject to a penalty of $5,000 per return.

(e)  If a dealer of communications services does not use one or more of the methods specified in s. 202.22(1) for assigning service addresses to local jurisdictions and assigns one or more service addresses to an incorrect local jurisdiction in collecting and remitting local communications services taxes imposed under s. 202.19, the dealer shall be subject to a specific penalty of 10 percent of any tax collected but reported to the incorrect jurisdiction as a result of incorrect assignment, except that the penalty imposed under this paragraph with respect to a single return may not exceed $10,000.

History.--ss. 20, 58, ch. 2000-260; ss. 21, 38, ch. 2001-140; s. 7, ch. 2003-254.