State and Federal
Tax Defender
941-366-3506
All across Florida, particularly here on the west coast, the Department of Revenue is taking a close look at the sales tax reports submitted by stores that sell beer and liquor.
It is so easy for the state to track purchases,that it makes it easy for them to identify stores that report less sales than they do purchases. It is a dead giveaway if the sales and purchases do not come close to matching. Many of the small businesses keep a double set of books or run two registers to under report true taxable sales. They under report actual sales and the State is deprived of the revenue. You can be prosecuted for filing false reports. It is a felony and you face time in prison. If you are not a United States Citizen and get convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude you can face deportation or be denied admission back into the United States if you return to your country for a visit.
If you get a visit, a call or a letter from the Department of Revenue, and you think you may have a problem, you need to get immediate advice from an experienced criminal lawyer who has experience handling sales tax cases.
As a former Federal tax investigator and former prosecutor I have a working knowledge as to how these investigations and prosecutions are done. Medical Marijuana is coming to Florida. It is only a matter of time. When it does, the Department of Revenue stands to gain hundreds of millions of dollars from medical marijuana sales.
For those convenience stores that are still dabbling in the synthetic marijuana substances, you are a prime target for audit by the Department. Often the State uses the tax laws to get convictions where they cannot prove other crimes. That is what happened to Al Capone, the old gangster from the “prohibition” days in America.
If you see a problem coming, do not wait until the special agents are at your door or business.