Washington Launches Tax Amnesty Targeting Foreign Retailers

Overseas sellers with significant unpaid business tax liabilities in Washington state can pay their tax debts without the typical 39% penalty under a first-in-the-nation compliance program launched this week, a senior revenue official said Wednesday.

Bryan Kelly, regional audit manager at Washington’s Department of Revenue, encouraged foreign companies with liabilities under the state’s retail sales tax and business and occupation tax to apply for the International Remote Seller Voluntary Disclosure Program. The temporary tax amnesty initiative, running from Feb. 1 to May 31 next year, went live Wednesday with a homepage, a list of frequently asked questions, and ...