State officials say $3.2 billion has come into California coffers through a tax amnesty program that is sparking a national debate over how aggressive governments should be in pressuring corporations to pay all they owe…
Lenny Goldberg of the California Tax Reform Assn., a group that advocates for low-income taxpayers and unions, said he has little sympathy for companies caught in state tax officials’ nets.
“In a lot of these cases, the disputes are dragging on because they are paying accounting firms to get in there, stonewall for them and make it as contentious as possible,” he said. “They make a living out of getting everything they do to get corporations not to pay taxes. They try to be as uncooperative as possible, and then they make complaints about audits and requests for information.”
The state is in dire need of revenue as lawmakers try to close a budget gap now estimated at $8.6 billion.
