I hope some of you Dopers who live in California can help me with some questions. Okay, I’ve lived in Northern Virginia my whole live, except for the years 1985-1991 when I lived in California. Tonight, I received a bill from the “State of California Franchise Tax Board” for the amount of $383.56 ostensibly for the tax year of 1993 and they do have a copy of my tax return for that year. According to the letter, the amount due is $486.56 with penalties/fees of $103.00. If I pay the $383.56 before March 31,2005, everything is jake. If I don’t pay, I gather that more fees and penalties will accrue, and then BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN.
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Should I contest this billing at all or should I just meekly write a check, send it off, and thank my lucky stars that’s all they wanted? Will this encourage the tax board to keep billing me for other fees? I must confess that I don’t have a copy of my 1993 tax return; since I didn’t commit fraud (as far as I remember), I destroyed it in 2000.
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Would it be a good idea to request a copy of my 1993 return to see where I (or the tax board) might have made a mistake? Would the tax board even care if I was able to show that I didn’t owe the tax, or would they jerk me around?
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Would it be a good idea to ask a tax professional here in my area about my concerns or would it be feasible to ask a tax professional in California?
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Why would the tax board wait until 2004 to contest my tax return in 1993? The IRS, if I remember correctly, states that federal tax returns should be held for seven years and can then be destroyed (not that I would, I’ve saved all of my federal and Virginia tax returns, just in case).
Note: I’m not going to ignore this situation, I’m just glad I’ve got about three months to investigate the situation and examine my options. I could pay this amount easily, but I’d like to make sure I actually owe it. I’m willing (though not eager) to do the right thing, but I don’t want to be a sap and open myself to repeated shakedowns. I certainly don’t want my job to be in jeopardy for something like this. Please let me know what my options are and what you’d do in my place. Oh, by the way, I realize that none of you are offering specific legal advice, you’re not my lawyer, I’m not your client, etc. I’d just like to know what I should be concentrating on. Thanks for any help you all can provide. 