State extends payment deadline for some tax collections

Businesses that missed state deadlines for some tax payments due to the late January ice storm will not be penalized, the director of the Missouri Department of Revenue said today.

During the ice storm, some areas of Southeast Missouri were without power for two weeks or longer, shutting down businesses and leaving important tax information locked in computers that could not be accessed, said Karen Mitchell, director of the state tax agency.

During that time, payments for taxes on general sales, fuel and tobacco products were due from retailers. Businesses may also have missed deadlines for corporate income and franchise tax payments as well as payment of income taxes withheld from employee paychecks, she noted. Because businesses missed deadlines due to weather and not neglect, King said the state is accepting late payment of the taxes and waiving interest and penalties.

The extension does not apply to individual income tax returns that are still due April 15, she said.

"Our decision is to provide some relief to businesses and individuals," King said at a news conference in Cape Girardeau. "We hope this provides relief in some way."

Businesses that have missed deadlines for taxes due between Jan. 22 and March 20 will have until March 30, to make scheduled payments and file returns. Businesses that file paper returns should write "Late due to ice storms" across the top of the form, she said. For taxes filed electronically, taxpayers should call the department immediately after filing to notify the agency that the filing has occurred and that it was late due to the ice storm.

Business that have already filed the taxes but made a late payment should contact the department and any accrued penalties or interest will be waived, King said.

The department had already allowed extensions for license office transactions that were late due to the ice storm.

While the extension will delay payments to counties and cities that rely on sales taxes, those payments would have been delayed anyway because taxpayers are already late sending money to the state, said Todd Iveson, deputy director of the tax collection bureau.

The extension applies to 20 counties that were part of a federal disaster declaration, King said. The counties are Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott, Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Howell, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon, Stoddard, Stone, Taney and Wayne.

For more information, contact the Cape Girardeau state tax office at (573) 290-5850 or visit the office at 3102 Blattner Drive.