Back in April, we wrote about Ohio Department of Taxation’s (ODT) use tax collection program.
They called their program the Use Tax Education Program. When the government uses the word “education” in a tax collection program title, you better hold on to your wallet! Their interest is not so much in education as it is in income repatriation.
But then almost as soon as the ODT announced their education program it was suspended because the legislature had the temerity to pass their own amnesty bill. The amnesty program would be effective October 1, 2011 so the ODT had to scramble to figure out the details.
The ODT has now announced the details (well some of them) via their website. Keep in mind that what the Legislature giveth, the regulator taketh (or at least attempteth to take) away, so it’s important to review the details of this program. But it does look to be relatively generous.
Keep this in mind too: This amnesty is for use tax on purchases. And it does actually waive some use tax on purchases made before January 1, 2009 that would otherwise be due. But what about sales tax on sales you make? There’s another program for that. Ohio also participates as an associate member of the SSTP and as such is obliged to offer an even MORE generous amnesty program that could waive all the tax you should have collected in OH if you qualify. More on that below after we discuss this new use tax amnesty program.
