55201-55211
REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE
SECTION 55201-55211
55201. If any feepayer is delinquent in the payment of any obligation imposed by this part, or if any determination has been made against a feepayer which remains unpaid, the board may, not later than three years after the payment becomes delinquent, or within 10 years after the last recording or filing of a notice of state tax lien under Section 7171 of the Government Code, give notice thereof, personally or by first-class mail, to all persons, including any officer or department of the state or any political subdivision or agency of the state, having in their possession or under their control any credits or other personal property belonging to the feepayer, or owing any debts to the feepayer. In the case of any state officer, department, or agency, the notice shall be given to the officer, department, or agency prior to the time it presents the claim of the delinquent feepayer to the Controller. 55202. After receiving the notice, the persons so notified shall not transfer or make any other disposition of the credits, other personal property, or debts in their possession or under their control at the time they receive the notice until the board consents to a transfer or disposition or until 60 days after the receipt of the notice, whichever occurs first. 55203. All persons so notified shall immediately, after receipt of the notice, advise the board of all credits, other personal property, or debts in their possession, or under their control, or owing by them. If the notice seeks to prevent the transfer or other disposition of a deposit in a bank or other credits or personal property in the possession or under the control of a bank, the notice, to be effective, shall state the amount, interest, and penalty due from the person and shall be delivered or mailed to the branch or office of the bank in accordance with the records of the board, or the branch or office at which the deposit is carried or at which the credits or personal property is held, unless another branch or office is designated by the bank. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with respect to a deposit in a bank or other credits or personal property in the possession or under the control of a bank, the notice shall only be effective with respect to an amount not in excess of the amount, interest, and penalty due from the person. 55204. If, during the effective period of the notice to withhold, any person so notified makes any transfer or disposition of the property or debts required to be withheld, to the extent of the value of the property or the amount of the debts thus transferred or paid, he or she shall be liable to the state for any indebtedness due under this part from the person with respect to whose obligation the notice was given, if solely by reason of that transfer or disposition, the state is unable to recover the indebtedness of the person with respect to whose obligation the notice was given. 55205. (a) The board may, by notice of levy, served personally or by first-class mail, require all persons having in their possession, or under their control, any payments, credits other than payments, or other personal property belonging to the feepayer or other person liable for any amount under this part to withhold from these credits or other personal property the amount of the fee, interest, or penalties due from the feepayer or other person, or the amount of any liability incurred under this part, and to transmit the amount withheld to the board at the time it may designate. The notice of levy shall have the same effect as a levy pursuant to a writ of execution except for the continuing effect of the levy, as provided in subdivision (b). (b) The amount required to be withheld is the lesser of the following: (1) The amount due stated on the notice. (2) The sum of both of the following: (A) The amount of the payments, credits other than payments, or personal property described above and under the person's possession or control when the notice of levy is served on the person. (B) The amount of each payment that becomes due following service of the notice of levy on the person and prior to the expiration of the levy. (c) For the purposes of this section, the term "payments" does not include earnings as that term is defined in subdivision (a) of Section 706.011 of the Code of Civil Procedure or funds in a deposit account as defined in paragraph (29) of subdivision (a) of Section 9102 of the Commercial Code. The term "payments" does include any of the following: (1) Payments due for services of independent contractors, dividends, rents, royalties, residuals, patent rights, or mineral or other natural rights. (2) Payments or credits due or becoming due periodically as a result of an enforceable obligation to the feepayer or other person liable for the fee. (3) Any other payments or credits due or becoming due the feepayer or other person liable as the result of written or oral contracts for services or sales whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus, or otherwise. (d) In the case of a financial institution, to be effective, the notice shall state the amount due from the feepayer and shall be delivered or mailed to the branch office of the financial institution where the credits or other property are held, unless another branch or office is designated by the financial institution to receive the notice. 55205.5. (a) Notwithstanding Article 7 (commencing with Section 706.151) of Chapter 5 of Title 9 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, if the board determines upon receiving information from a fee payer or other person liable for any amount under this part that the person's employer withheld earnings for taxes pursuant to Section 55205 and failed to remit the withheld earnings to the board, the employer shall be liable for the amount not remitted. The board's determination shall be based on payroll documents or other substantiating evidence furnished by the person liable for the tax. (b) Upon its determination, the board shall mail notice to the employer at its last known address that upon failure to remit the withheld earnings to the board within 15 days of the date of its notice to the employer, the employer shall be liable for that amount which was withheld and not remitted. (c) If the employer fails to remit the amount withheld to the board upon notice, that amount for which the employer is liable shall be determined, collected, and paid as though it were a tax deficiency. The amount may be assessed at any time prior to seven years from the first day that the unremitted amount, in the aggregate, was first withheld. Interest shall accrue on that amount from the first day that the unremitted amount, in the aggregate, was first withheld. (d) When the determination against the employer is final and due and payable, the person's account shall be immediately credited with an amount equal to that determined amount as though it were a payment received by the board on the first date that the unremitted amount, in the aggregate, was first withheld by the employer. (e) Collection against the person liable for the tax is stayed for both the following amount and period: (1) An amount equal to the amount determined by the board under subdivision (a). (2) The earlier of the time the credit is applied to the person's account pursuant to subdivision (d) or the determination against the employer is withdrawn or revised and the person is notified by the board thereof. (f) If under this section an amount that was withheld and not remitted to the board is final and due and payable by the employer and credited to the person's account, this remedy shall be the exclusive remedy for the person to recover that amount from the employer. (g) This section shall apply to determinations made by the board on or after the effective date of the act adding this section. 55206. The remedies of the state provided for in this chapter are cumulative, and no action taken by the board or by the Attorney General constitutes an election by the state or any of its officers to pursue any remedy to the exclusion of any other remedy for which provision is made in this part. 55207. The amounts required to be paid by any person under this part, together with interest and penalties, shall be satisfied first in any of the following cases: (a) Whenever the person is insolvent. (b) Whenever the person makes a voluntary assignment of his or her assets. (c) Whenever the estate of the person in the hands of executors, administrators, or heirs is insufficient to pay all debts due from the deceased. (d) Whenever the estate and effects of an absconding, concealed, or absent person required to pay any amount under this part are levied upon by process of law. This section does not give the state a preference over a lien or security interest which was recorded or perfected prior to the time when the state records or files its lien, as provided in Section 7171 of the Government Code. The preference given to the state by this section is subordinate to the preferences given to claims for personal services by Sections 1204 and 1206 of the Code of Civil Procedure. 55208. The board shall not be subject to subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 16307 of the Corporations Code unless, at the time of application for or issuance of a permit, license, or registration number under this part, the applicant furnishes to the board a written partnership agreement that provides that all business assets shall be held in the name of the partnership. 55209. (a) The board may, in its discretion, enter into a written installment payment agreement with a person for the payment of any fees due, together with interest thereon and any applicable penalties, in installments over an agreed period. With mutual consent, the board and the fee payer may alter or modify the agreement. (b) Upon failure of a person to fully comply with the terms of an installment payment agreement with the board, the board may terminate the agreement by mailing a notice of termination to the person. The notice shall include an explanation of the basis for the termination and inform the person of his or her right to request an administrative review of the termination. Fifteen days after the mailing of the notice, the installment payment agreement shall be void, and the total amount of the fees, interest, and penalties due shall be immediately payable. (c) The board shall establish procedures for an administrative review for persons requesting that review whose installment payment agreements are terminated under subdivision (b). The collection of fees, interest, and penalties that are the subject of the terminated installment payment agreement may not be stayed during this administrative review process. (d) Subdivision (b) shall not apply to any case where the board finds collection of the fee to be in jeopardy. (e) Except in the case of fraud, if an installment payment agreement is entered into within 45 days from the date on which the board's notice of determination or redetermination becomes final, and the person complies with the terms of the installment payment agreement, the board shall relieve the penalty imposed pursuant to Section 55086. 55209.5. The board, beginning no later than January 1, 2001, shall provide each taxpayer who has an installment payment agreement in effect under Section 55209 an annual statement setting forth the initial balance at the beginning of the year, the payments made during the year, and the remaining balance as of the end of the year. 55211. (a) A collection cost recovery fee shall be imposed on any person that fails to pay an amount of fee, interest, penalty, or other amount due and payable under this part. The collection cost recovery fee shall be in an amount equal to the board's costs for collection, as reasonably determined by the board. The collection cost recovery fee shall be imposed only if the board has mailed its demand notice, to that person for payment, that advises that continued failure to pay the amount due may result in collection action, including the imposition of a collection cost recovery fee. (b) Interest shall not accrue with respect to the collection cost recovery fee provided by this section. (c) The collection cost recovery fee imposed pursuant to this section shall be collected in the same manner as the collection of any other fee imposed by this part. (d) (1) If the board finds that a person's failure to pay any amount under this part is due to reasonable cause and circumstances beyond the person's control, and occurred notwithstanding the exercise of ordinary care and the absence of willful neglect, the person shall be relieved of the collection cost recovery fee provided by this section. (2) Any person seeking to be relieved of the collection cost recovery fee shall file with the board a statement under penalty of perjury setting forth the facts upon which the person bases the claim for relief. (e) Subdivision (a) shall be operative with respect to a demand notice for payment which is mailed on or after January 1, 2011. (f) Collection cost recovery fee revenues shall be deposited in the same manner as revenues derived from any other fee imposed by this part.