North Carolina businesses are on the losing end of legislative policy again, thanks to the inefficiency of government bureaucracy. Common sense tells me that if Gov. Perdue, Sen. Basnight, and Speaker Hackney were the ones tearing their hair out over the never-ending –and now, incorrect — paperwork required of the state’s regulatory and revenue maze, this problem would be short-lived. The News & Observer reports that roughly 180,000 businesses are impacted by this new sales tax mess, and they may not even know what’s coming, should they use the incorrect sales tax forms. (emphasis is mine)
“That would be bad,” said agency spokesman Thomas Beam. “They’d have to file amended returns. There could be interest on the unpaid amount. More than anything it would be a lot of work.”
The state Revenue Department won’t distribute correct tax forms until next month. Meanwhile, the agency has created a link to an online worksheet that will calculate the correct sales tax rate. For businesses that don’t file online, the Revenue Department’s tax technicians will take information by phone and calculate the correct rate.
Can you say migraine?
