DON’T GET CAUGHT WITHOUT A VALID CALIFORNIA SELLER’S PERMIT!

According to the Dec 27, 2011 edition of The Orange County Register, "State tax hunters will visit almost 21,000 retailers and service businesses in Costa Mesa and 17 other cities to find out if they properly collecting sales and use taxes and other taxes and fees." This is due to California recently launching an effort to enforce the proper licensing of all businesses such as having a valid California seller’s permit. The Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program (SCOP) is an initiative to ensure businesses have the required seller’s permit or business licenses and properly collect sales and use taxes. The SCOP team has visited 270,000 businesses so far. Without proper business licenses and seller’s permits owners "could be fined up to $1,000 and have to spend six months in jail, plus have to pay all back taxes and face regular audits in the future."