Senate Bill 1698

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1698

    By Senator Ostalkiewicz





    12-1538-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to financial matters (RAB);

  3         amending s. 72.011, F.S.; providing for

  4         adoption of procedures for notifying a taxpayer

  5         of an assessment or denial of a refund;

  6         amending s. 199.052, F.S.; prescribing

  7         conditions under which a trust will be

  8         considered a Florida-situs trust; amending s.

  9         213.21, F.S.; providing for conferences

10         relating to denial of refunds; providing for

11         closing agreements; amending s. 220.222, F.S.;

12         prescribing conditions under which a taxpayer

13         will be considered not in compliance with s.

14         220.32, F.S., for purposes of granting

15         extensions; amending s. 624.515, F.S.;

16         providing for determination of the percentage

17         of fire insurance within an insurance line;

18         amending s. 896.102, F.S.; authorizing the

19         Department of Revenue to adopt rules for

20         reporting certain business transactions;

21         providing an effective date.

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23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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25         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section

26  72.011, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

27         72.011  Jurisdiction of circuit courts in specific tax

28  matters; administrative hearings and appeals; time for

29  commencing action; parties; deposits.--

30         (2)

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1698
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  1         (b)  The date on which an assessment or a denial of

  2  refund becomes final and procedures a procedure by which a

  3  taxpayer must be notified of the assessment or of the denial

  4  of refund must be established:

  5         1.  By rule adopted by the Department of Revenue;

  6         2.  With respect to assessments or refund denials under

  7  chapter 207, by rule adopted by the Department of Highway

  8  Safety and Motor Vehicles;

  9         3.  With respect to assessments or refund denials under

10  chapters 210, 550, 561, 562, 563, 564, and 565, by rule

11  adopted by the Department of Business and Professional

12  Regulation; or

13         4.  With respect to taxes that a county collects or

14  enforces under s. 125.0104(10) or s. 212.0305(5), by an

15  ordinance that may additionally provide for informal dispute

16  resolution procedures in accordance with s. 213.21.

17         Section 2.  Subsection (5) of section 199.052, Florida

18  Statutes, is amended to read:

19         199.052  Annual tax returns; payment of annual tax.--

20         (5)  The trustee of a Florida-situs trust is primarily

21  responsible for returning the trust's intangible personal

22  property and paying the annual tax on it.

23         (a)  A trust has a Florida situs when:

24         1.  All trustees are residents of the state; or

25         2.  There are three or more trustees sharing equally in

26  the ownership, management, or control of the trust's

27  intangible property, and the majority of the trustees are

28  residents of this state.

29         (b)  A portion of the trust has Florida situs when

30  there are two trustees, one a resident of this state and one a

31  nonresident, and they share equally in the ownership,

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1698
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  1  management, or control of the trust's intangible property. The

  2  tax on such property shall be based on the value apportioned

  3  between them.

  4         (c)  If there is more than one trustee in the state,

  5  only one tax return for the trust must be filed.

  6         (d)  The trust's beneficiaries, however, may

  7  individually return their equitable shares of the trust's

  8  intangible personal property and pay the tax on such shares,

  9  in which case the trustee need not return such property or pay

10  such tax, although the department may require the trustee to

11  file an informational return.

12         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and

13  paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 213.21, Florida

14  Statutes, are amended to read:

15         213.21  Informal conferences; compromises.--

16         (1)(a)  The Department of Revenue may adopt rules for

17  establishing informal conference procedures within the

18  department for resolution of disputes relating to assessment

19  of taxes, interest, and penalties, and the denial of refunds

20  and for informal hearings under ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2).

21         (2)(a)  The executive director of the department or his

22  or her designee is authorized to enter into a written closing

23  agreements agreement with any taxpayer settling or

24  compromising the taxpayer's liability for any tax, interest,

25  or penalty assessed under any of the chapters specified in s.

26  72.011(1). Such agreements shall be in writing when the amount

27  of tax, penalty, or interest compromised exceeds $30,000 or

28  for lesser amounts when the department deems it appropriate or

29  when requested by the taxpayer. When such a closing agreement

30  has been approved by the department and signed by the

31  executive director or his or her designee and the taxpayer, it

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1698
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  1  shall be final and conclusive; and, except upon a showing of

  2  fraud or misrepresentation of material fact or except as to

  3  adjustments pursuant to ss. 198.16 and 220.23, no additional

  4  assessment may be made by the department against the taxpayer

  5  for the tax, interest, or penalty specified in the closing

  6  agreement for the time period specified in the closing

  7  agreement, and the taxpayer shall not be entitled to institute

  8  any judicial or administrative proceeding to recover any tax,

  9  interest, or penalty paid pursuant to the closing agreement.

10  The department is authorized to delegate to the executive

11  director the authority to approve any such closing agreement

12  resulting in a tax reduction of $100,000 or less.

13         Section 4.  Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (2) of

14  section 220.222, Florida Statutes, to read:

15         220.222  Returns; time and place for filing.--

16         (2)

17         (c)  For purposes of this subsection, a taxpayer is not

18  in compliance with the requirements of s. 220.32 if the

19  taxpayer underpays the required payment by more than $500 or

20  10 percent of the tax shown on the return when filed.

21         Section 5.  Subsection (1) of section 624.515, Florida

22  Statutes, is amended to read:

23         624.515  State Fire Marshal regulatory assessment and

24  surcharge; levy and amount.--

25         (1)(a)  In addition to any other license or excise tax

26  now or hereafter imposed, and such taxes as may be imposed

27  under other statutes, there is hereby assessed and imposed

28  upon every domestic, foreign, and alien insurer authorized to

29  engage in this state in the business of issuing policies of

30  fire insurance, a regulatory assessment in an amount equal to

31  1 percent of the gross amount of premiums collected by each

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1698
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  1  such insurer on policies of fire insurance issued by it and

  2  insuring property in this state. The assessment shall be

  3  payable annually on or before March 1 to the Department of

  4  Revenue by the insurer on such premiums collected by it during

  5  the preceding calendar year.

  6         (b)  When it is impractical, due to the nature of the

  7  business practices within the insurance industry, to determine

  8  the percentage of fire insurance contained within a line of

  9  insurance written by an insurer on risks located or resident

10  in Florida, the Department of Revenue may establish by rule

11  such percentages for the industry. The Department of Revenue

12  may also amend the percentages as the insurance industry

13  changes its practices concerning the portion of fire insurance

14  within a line of insurance.

15         Section 6.  Subsection (3) of section 896.102, Florida

16  Statutes, is amended to read:

17         896.102  Currency more than $10,000 received in trade

18  or business; report required; noncompliance penalties.--

19         (3)  The Department of Revenue may adopt rules and

20  guidelines to administer and enforce these reporting

21  requirements.

22         Section 7.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1698
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  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Requires that multiple procedures for notifying a
      taxpayer of an assessment or the denial of a refund be
  4    established by rule.  Provides criteria for determining
      when a trust is a Florida-situs trust for intangible tax
  5    purposes.  Revises guidelines for closing agreements
      between the Department of Revenue and taxpayers.
  6    Provides that certain corporate income taxpayers will not
      be entitled to an extension of the time for filing when
  7    they excessively underpay taxes due.  Authorizes the
      Department of Revenue to establish by rule the percentage
  8    of a line or lines of insurance that constitutes fire
      insurance, for purposes of taxation.  Authorizes the
  9    department to adopt rules to enforce requirements that
      business transactions involving more than $10,000 in
10    currency be reported.

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