Comments on: FTB spends 5 years, fails to collect $392

By: Dazed and Confused

Dazed and Confused — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 23:09:35 +0000

I have just closed my freelance writing S-corp after two years of threats and harassment by the FTB including dunning me for a year I didn’t live in the state! (My wife moved to LA mid september 2013) and I followed following year after selling our house. Our NY accountant (since fired) put the cali address on my 2013 corporate income tax form and the hounds of hell began sniffing around. I hired an LA tax accountant and we filed amended returns and… they seized my corporate bank account – while we were in discussions with them. I called the FTB twice – first time I got a woman I could barely understand, second time I got a guy who asked why I was giving him “attitude”. I have never seen such unabashed greed – had NO idea Cali was like this. When I said I couldn’t believe they seized my bank account, the guy said “we seize houses, sir.” I am afraid of this state. How did it get like this? NY was expensive, but I never had issues like this.

By: David Feldman

David Feldman — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 17:17:44 +0000

I am a liberal and have voted democrat most of my life. That does not mean liberals don’t want to see efficient AND FAIR government. If you want to know just how INCOMPETENT and UNCARING the FTB is go to http://www.FTBisBroken.com. We reported two tax evading venture capital firms that have operated in CA for over a decade taking out MILLIONS in TAX FREE money they stole from honest CA taxpayers through fraudulent use of the Courts. The FTB did NOTHING even though we provided hundreds of pages of evidence including the VCs sworn testimony. Worst of all is John Chiang, Chairman of the FTB. He has not even shown up for a meeting of the Board in years (see http://www.Chiang4Treasurer.com).
The result of the FTB inaction is a CA company destroyed, 45 jobs lost and almost $9-million flowing out of State without a penny of taxes being paid while the criminals still are in CA.
It is time to reorganize the state’s taxing authorities. Why do we need two inept organizations costing almost a billion dollars each.
Oh, by the way Republican George Runner did not even respond to a request for help!

By: DavidfromLosGatos

DavidfromLosGatos — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:33:02 +0000

If you want to be appalled by actions of the California Franchise Tax Board, read up on the Gil Hyatt litigation. Not sure of the current status, but as of a few years ago, he had obtained a Nevada state court judgment against CA FTB for something around $1B. Underlying facts had to do with his moving to Nevada because he became wealthy on patent royalties, and did not want to pay CA income taxes on same. But CA FTB takes the Hotel California lyrics to heart (“you can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave”).

By: Hondo

Hondo — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 00:39:01 +0000

I notice none of our liberal friends commenting on this horror story. I remember back when Reagan was president and the dems howled over those $500 hammers the pentagon was buying. The Reagan people were pikers compared to the Kali dems.
Hondo……

By: californianative

californianative — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 01:37:59 +0000

FTB,BOE,IRS. All the same to me, money out of my pocket to the government.

By: californianative

californianative — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 01:32:49 +0000

Ontheotherhand,
No doubt, it definitely happened. Your probably right, it was the Board of Equilization. It’s been over 20 years and to be honest with you I can’t remember keeping track of the names of all of these agencies but I have a strong memory of that guy sitting in the back office tapping away at his adding machine and asking for records going back 3 years or so. He disrupted the whole place for a week. We were sure glad when he left and I thought as a taxpayer what a wasted effort that week was for the State ( with respect to my little agricultural support business). I get that they have to set examples to try and keep the ” people” honest. He drove 3 1/2 hrs south from Sacramento in his state car, stayed at a hotel and ate at restaurants that week all on the taxpayers dime. Making maybe $ 20/hr plus benefits back then. Again, a net BUST for the state. Then they came back again the next year, hoping to catch me screwing them because I figured they wouldn’t be back for a long time. Bigger BUST for the state. That’s like the guy who loses $ 20 a transaction in business and you ask him, ” How you gonna make that up?”. And he says ” On volume”, with a straight face. I really couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

By: Rex the Wonder Dog!

Rex the Wonder Dog! — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 23:00:04 +0000

Yikes!

By: Ontheotherhand

Ontheotherhand — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:50:29 +0000

That may have happened, but FTB does not collect or audit sales tax. That would be BOE.

By: californianative

californianative — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:18:50 +0000

When I owned a small business in California in the late 80’s early 90’s the FTB sent an agent to my business for a sales tax audit. They sent someone from Sacramento, put him up in a hotel for 4 nights and he spent all week in my office. He tied up one employee ( our gross sales were about $ 850,000/yr) all week feeding him records ( we did not have a computer, all records on typed ledgers). He went back home with somewhere around $ 800 in his pocket. We tightened up our process in collecting sales tax and they came back the very next year. Same scenario, tied up my gal for another week. This time they cut me a check for about $400 for overpayment! Those bozo’s. The FTB guy could care less, he was getting paid by the hour and all expenses paid. They left me alone after that. Sold the business in ’94 and got out of Dodge.