ed4copies
Local Chapter Manager
Yep, the Indiana Department of Revenue just sent Dawn a bill for the sales tax on a three day show. $42,000 plus some "small change". The tax rate was 6%, so they estimate her sales at 700G's.
Those of you who have asked about Sales tax, beware!!! Every large show is now forced to submit a list of exhibitors to the state DOR. Then, if you have not filed (or, in this case, even if you HAVE filed and paid), you will be sent a "friendly reminder" demanding payment of some exhorbitant amount of money.
We have experience with Revenue Departments from MY business and have adopted a modus operandus that makes this LESS of a problem. ALWAYS send your check paying sales tax via "Return receipt requested" mail. This gives you a card that says what date the check was received and WHO picked it up. In spite of submitting this information to Indiana several weeks ago, we STILL received the above. Additionally, in the last show we did there (we are only in Indiana for ONE show a year), one of the agents for DOR stopped by our booth to announce to one and all that we had NOT paid for last year. (Mental note, next year we will carry all documentation with us so we can PROVE him wrong).
So, we will be writing several letters to the Dept of Tourism, Revenue, Governor, etc. However, I want to warn EVERYONE here: Had we not paid the PROPER amount, and filed the return TIMELY, we MIGHT actually have to go to tax court in Indiana to FIGHT this.
ALWAYS FILE A RETURN!!! PAY THE SALES TAX!!! And, to protect yourself, carry the "green card" (return receipt) and paperwork with you to the next show you do in that state!!!!!
Oh, our real sales were less than 1% of the above number. It rained consistently for four days and not many showed up.
Those of you who have asked about Sales tax, beware!!! Every large show is now forced to submit a list of exhibitors to the state DOR. Then, if you have not filed (or, in this case, even if you HAVE filed and paid), you will be sent a "friendly reminder" demanding payment of some exhorbitant amount of money.
We have experience with Revenue Departments from MY business and have adopted a modus operandus that makes this LESS of a problem. ALWAYS send your check paying sales tax via "Return receipt requested" mail. This gives you a card that says what date the check was received and WHO picked it up. In spite of submitting this information to Indiana several weeks ago, we STILL received the above. Additionally, in the last show we did there (we are only in Indiana for ONE show a year), one of the agents for DOR stopped by our booth to announce to one and all that we had NOT paid for last year. (Mental note, next year we will carry all documentation with us so we can PROVE him wrong).
So, we will be writing several letters to the Dept of Tourism, Revenue, Governor, etc. However, I want to warn EVERYONE here: Had we not paid the PROPER amount, and filed the return TIMELY, we MIGHT actually have to go to tax court in Indiana to FIGHT this.
ALWAYS FILE A RETURN!!! PAY THE SALES TAX!!! And, to protect yourself, carry the "green card" (return receipt) and paperwork with you to the next show you do in that state!!!!!
Oh, our real sales were less than 1% of the above number. It rained consistently for four days and not many showed up.
]
