PA Tax Amnesty Collections Exceed $12 Million in First Week

49 Days Remain for Tax Delinquents to Take Advantage of PA Tax Amnesty

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The PA Tax Amnesty program received 10,062 completed or in-process applications disclosing $12.1 million in previously unpaid Pennsylvania back taxes in the program's first four-and-a-half days, Secretary of Revenue C. Daniel Hassell reported today.

The single largest payment to date was $172,593.07 for personal income taxes.  

As of noon Friday, traffic to the PA Tax Amnesty website, www.PATaxPayUp.com, totaled 86,000 hits; more than 15,100 calls were made to the PA Tax Amnesty hotline, 1-877-34-PAYUP.

"Because of the tremendous response in the first couple days of the Tax Amnesty program, the department has tripled the number of people answering the phones, and we are offering customer service for the next two Saturdays," said Hassell, thanking applicants for their patience while the department received a higher-than-expected call volume in the program's first days.

"We encourage each person who received a notice in the mail from the department to read the notice carefully, follow the instructions and go online at www.PATaxPayUp.com to see why the notice was sent."  

As required by the Tax Amnesty law, last week the department mailed more than one million notices to the last-known mailing address of people who have delinquent accounts with the department.  

"While many people who received notices owe back taxes, some taxpayers may not owe anything and simply need to provide the Revenue Department additional information or file a return to settle their accounts in our records," said Hassell.

"This program offers a rare opportunity that tax delinquents can't afford to pass up.  We strongly urge any business or individual that owes back taxes to Pennsylvania to pay up during the Tax Amnesty period."

About Tax Amnesty:

For a limited time, the PA Department of Revenue is waiving 100 percent of penalties and half the interest for anyone who applies for Tax Amnesty online at www.PATaxPayUp.com and pays eligible delinquent taxes by June 18.

The 54-day PA Tax Amnesty program, created by Act 48 of 2009, is generally available to all individuals, businesses and other entities with PA tax delinquencies as of June 30, 2009.

The Tax Amnesty period began on April 26 and is expected to net $190 million for the current fiscal year budget by June 18.

After the program ends on June 18, eligible taxpayers that do not take advantage of the PA Tax Amnesty program to settle back taxes will have a 5 percent non-participation penalty added to delinquencies and may face other enforcement actions.

For more information, visit www.PATaxPayUp.com or call 1-877-34-PAYUP (1-877-347-2987) weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.  On the Saturdays of May 1 and 8, the call center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Media contact: Stephanie Weyant, 717-787-6960

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Revenue

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