Past-due tax collection program exceeds expectations
PAYRight OK comes at opportune time for Oklahomans
OKLAHOMA CITY — A program for individuals and businesses to pay past-due Oklahoma
taxes without penalty and interest has collected about $38.5 million in tax
revenue in just four weeks, surpassing projections for the two-month program.
When Gov. Mary Fallin and the Legislature enacted PAYRight
OK this past legislative session through passage of House Bill 2236, it was
projected to produce about $35 million in new revenue during the penalty-free
period. With about five weeks left in the voluntary compliance initiative, the Oklahoma
Tax Commission had already collected $38,545,906 as of Oct. 9.
PAYRight OK exceeding expectations comes at a critical time
with the state facing revenue challenges brought on by reductions in the oil
and gas sector.
“PAYRight OK is one of the many tools the governor and
Legislature used to address the budget gap last session, and it is working even
better than expected,” said Secretary of Finance, Administration and
Information Technology Preston L. Doerflinger.
The PAYRight OK initiative began Sept. 14 and ends Nov. 13.
Oklahoma taxpayers can file past-due state tax returns and pay their
liabilities for any periods ending before Jan. 1, 2015, without paying penalty
and interest. Taxpayers also have the option of getting on a limited payment
plan if they can’t immediately pay the full amount owed.
“About the only thing people like less than paying a tax is
paying a penalty on that tax. Temporarily waving the past-due penalty is
producing a respectable windfall at an opportune time while also allowing
individuals and businesses to clear up delinquencies. We encourage more
taxpayers to take advantage of the PAYRight OK opportunity while it lasts,”
Doerflinger said.
PAYRight OK will take payments for individual and corporate
income tax, sales tax, use tax, withholding tax, mixed-beverage tax, gasoline and
diesel tax, gross-production and petroleum-excise tax, and privilege tax.
Since the program began, the Oklahoma Tax Commission has
fielded nearly 8,500 help line calls, about 5,000 inquiries through its website
and questions from nearly 550 walk-ins. More than 1,700 payment plans have been
established.
Taxpayers can pay their tax liabilities at the Oklahoma
Taxpayer Access Point (OkTAP) found at www.tax.ok.gov
or by calling 866-263-8612.
Federal taxes, taxes paid to other state
agencies and taxes paid to other states are ineligible for PAYRight OK.
Media Contact
JOHN ESTUS Director of Public Affairs (405) 521-3097 | john.estus@omes.ok.gov
About the Office of Management and Enterprise Services
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services
provides financial, property, purchasing, human resources and
information technology services to all state agencies, and assists the
Governor’s Office on budgetary policy matters. Our mission: Supporting our partners through unified business services. For more information, visit OMES.OK.gov.
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