Arkansas Blog: 'Enormous snafu'

That's the description I get from an accountant on the secretary of state's newish on-line sytstem for filing corporate franchise taxes. He reports difficulty in getting reports accepted. And without a return receipt that comes with numbers provided by the state, clients can't pay the taxes due. They are due by May 1.

Does the secretary of state have legal power to waive proscribed penalties for late payment if the late payment is the product of a system problem?

A spokesman for the secretary of state said this was the first she'd heard of the problem. She's checking. Meanwhile, any other franchise tax filers who've tried the new digital system? UPDATE: I've heard from another who's had a problem with a single filing, but. Claude reports below that it worked fine for him. Batch filing might be the issue.

UPDATE II: Natasha Naragon of the secretary of state's office says:

This is only the second year we’ve offered online batch filing—online filing for single filers has been availablesince 2003. Since it is a fairly new procedure, many filers are calling our Business and Commercial Services offices for troubleshooting assistance; but, we do not have any indication of a problem with the system itself.

The office is working diligently to assist any last-minute filers and will not penalize any business who makes an effort to file by midnight on May 1.

Businesses needing assistance in filing franchise taxes are urged to call our BCS office at (800) 233-0325.

Comments

I assume this system is handled by INA (the Republican company set up as a monopoly by Huckabee to take a share of all tax money paid online)? It amazes me that the state is still throwing away tax dollars (no telling how many million) to INA for something that could be done by the state. Maybe someday the press will actually do some research on this scam.

Posted by: The Real Bold and The Blue | April 29, 2008 02:49 PM

I used it a month or so ago and got what I presume to be a valid receipt for the submission, including a receipt number.

Posted by: Claude Bahls | April 29, 2008 03:08 PM

Don't forget there's a $3.00 fee for bank draft and $5.00 for credit card payments.
I was told if I wanted to mail it in I had to print the form from the web site, sign it, and have it postmarked by midnight May 1.
Forever stamp, 3 sheets of paper and an envelope.

Posted by: KF | April 29, 2008 04:00 PM

As a career (40+ yrs) computer system development professional, it is ASTOUNDING and amazing that so many large computer-based systems still fail. AND the maddening part is that even though cost reductions and technology advances have both progressed exponentially, the CAUSES of the failures remain exactly the same as they were in the 60's: incompetent project management - usually ONE key person! You can look it up...and makes me want to break myself in half & stuff me up my ass!! This is just another example of Ahmurika going down the tubes because of stupidity.

Having said that, what I need here is an OPEN LINE, as I made the colossal blunder of DVRing President Numbnuts presser, and we sat down to watch; we feel it's our civic duty, as a minimum... You CANNOT watch/listen to this uncompromisingly dumb bastard~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you heard his soliloquy on ethanol - then Iraq...O.M.G!!! My wife (a life-long apolitical person until monkeyboy showed up) screamed from the kitchen: ENOUGH, he makes half of me sick, the other half angry!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Posted by: Larry | April 29, 2008 07:41 PM

Y'all just need to remember Humputy Dumpty's conversation with Alice (in Wonderland), when he said,"scornfully", "A word means what I choose it to mean; nothing more, nothing less".

Posted by: ozarkrazo | April 29, 2008 08:52 PM

Arkansas Blog

'Enormous snafu'

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