Colorado will offer delinquent taxpayers a 45-day window to catch up on overdue taxes without penalty or criminal prosecution.
The amnesty, which lasts Oct. 1 to Nov. 15, covers individual or business taxes due the state on or before Dec. 31, 2010.
Exceptions include obligations under the International Fuel Tax Agreement, the Passenger Mile Tax and the International Registration Program.
Taxpayers who received a delinquency notice on or before Oct. 1 aren’t eligible, nor are taxpayers facing a criminal investigation.
Besides having penalties waived, those who file and pay overdue taxes during the amnesty period will only have to pay half the interest otherwise due on the delinquent taxes.
“This is the right thing to do and the right time to do it,” said State Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 184, which authorized the amnesty.
The Colorado Department of Revenue expects to collect $10 million to $12 million under the program, although if history is a guide, more should come in.
When the state offered a tax amnesty in 2003, it collected $23.4 million, far more than the $3 million to $4 million estimated, said State Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, and a sponsor of the amnesty bill.
“Businesses will be the primary beneficiary,” Steadman said. “A lot of businesses have fallen on hard times.”
Funds collected in the amnesty program will go into the State Education Fund to support K-12 education, Steadman said.
The department has launched a marketing program called “Jump at the Chance” to promote the effort.
More information about the amnesty program is available at or by calling 303-205-8288 or 1-855-330-3490 from other areas codes.
Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410, asvaldi@denverpost.com or
