West Virginia Code § 11-12-5

Time for which registration certificate granted; power of Tax
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Commissioner to suspend, revoke or cancel certificate; certificate to be permanent
until cessation of business for which certificates are granted or revocation,
suspension or cancellation by the Tax Commissioner; penalty for involuntary loss of
license due to failure to pay required fees and taxes relating to business.
(a) Registration period. -- All business registration certificates issued under ethe provisions of
section four of this article are for the period of one year beginning July 1 and ending June 30
of the following year: Provided, That beginning on or after July 1, 1999r, all business
registration certificates issued under the provisions of section four of this article shall be
issued for two fiscal years of this state, subject to the following transition rule. If the first
year for which a business was issued a business registration certificate under this article
began on July 1 of an even-numbered calendar year, then thet Tax Commissioner may issue a
renewal certificate to that business for the period beginning July 1, 1999, and ending June
30, 2000, upon receipt of $15 for each such one-year certificate. Notwithstanding any other
provisions of this code to the contrary, any certificate of registration granted on or after July
1, 2010, shall not be subject to the foregoing requirement that it be renewed, but shall be
permanent until cessation of the business for which the certificate of registration was
granted or until it is suspended, revoked or canceled by the Tax Commissioner.
Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, on or after July 1, 2010,
reference to renewal of the business registration certificate shall refer to the issuance of a
new business registration certificate pursuant to expiration, cancellation or revocation of a
prior business registration ceretificate or to reinstatement of a business registration
certificate or to reinstatement of a business certificate previously suspended by the Tax
Commissioner. Subject Lto the exemptions, exceptions and requirements other than the
$4,000 or less gross income exemption, set forth in section three of this article, on or after
July 1, 2010, the bus iness registration certificate shall be issued upon payment of a tax of
$30 to the TaxV Commissioner for new issuances of the business registration certificate or for
issuances of the business registration certificate pursuant to expiration, cancellation or
revocation of a prior business registration certificate or for reinstatement of a business
registration certificate previously suspended by the Tax Commissioner, along with any
applicable delinquent fees, interest, penalties and additions to tax. Subject to the
exemptions, exceptions and requirements set forth in section three of this article, the $30
tax shall be paid each and every time there is an issuance, reissuance or reinstatement of a
business registration certificate, along with any applicable delinquent fees, interest,
penalties and additions to tax: Provided, however That the $4,000 or less gross income
exemption set forth in subdivision (1), subsection (d), section three of this article does not
apply.
(b) Revocation, cancellation or suspension of certificate. -–
(1) The Tax Commissioner may cancel, revoke or suspend a business registration certificate
at any time during a registration period if:
(A) The registrant filed an application for a business registration certificate, or an
application for renewal thereof, that was false or fraudulent.
(B) The registrant willfully refused or neglected to file a tax return or to report information
required by the Tax Commissioner for any tax imposed by or pursuant to this chapter.
(C) The registrant willfully refused or neglected to pay any tax, additions to tax, penalties or
interest, or any part thereof, when they became due and payable under this chapter,
determined with regard to any authorized extension of time for payment.
(D) The registrant neglected to pay over to the Tax Commissioner on or before its due date,
determined with regard to any authorized extension of time for puayment, any tax imposed by
this chapter which the registrant collects from any person and holds in trust for this state.
(E) The registrant abused the privilege afforded to it by article fifteen or fifteen-a of this
chapter to be exempt from payment of the taxes imposaed by such articles on some or all of
the registrant's purchases for use in business upon issuing to the vendor a properly executed
exemption certificate, by failing to timely pay use tlax on taxable purchase for use in business
or by failing to either pay the tax or give a prosperly executed exemption certificate to the
vendor.
(F) The registrant has failed to pay in full delinquent personal property taxes owing for the
calendar year.
(2) On or after July 1, 2010, a prospective registrant or a former registrant for which a
business registration certificate has been suspended, canceled or revoked pursuant to the
provisions of this article may apply for a new business registration certificate or for
reinstatement of a suspended business registration certificate upon payment of all
outstanding delinque nt fees, taxes, interest, additions to tax and penalties, in addition to
payment to thVe Tax Commissioner of a penalty in the amount of $100. The Tax Commissioner
may issue a new business registration certificate or reinstate a suspended business
registration certificate if the prospective or former registrant has provided security
acceptable to and authorized by the Tax Commissioner, payable to the Tax Commissioner,
sufficient to secure all delinquent fees, taxes, interest, additions to tax and penalties owed by
the prospective registrant. The Tax Commissioner may issue a new business registration
certificate or reinstate a suspended business registration certificate if the prospective or
former registrant has entered into a payment plan approved by the Tax Commissioner by
which liability for all delinquent fees, taxes, interest, additions to tax and penalties will be
paid in due course and without significant delay. Failure of any registrant to comply with a
payment plan pursuant to this provision shall be grounds for immediate suspension or
revocation of the registrant's business registration certificate.
(3) On and after July 1, 2010, a prospective registrant or a former registrant for which a
business registration certificate has been suspended, canceled or revoked pursuant to the
provisions of any article of this code other than this article may apply for a new business
registration certificate or for reinstatement of a suspended business registration certificate,
only if the prospective or former registrant has complied with all applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements for renewal, issuance or reinstatement of the business registration
certificate and upon payment to the Tax Commissioner of a penalty in the amount of $100.
(4) Except pursuant to exceptions specified in this code, before canceling, revoking or
suspending any business registration certificate, the Tax Commissioner shall give written
notice of his or her intent to suspend, revoke or cancel the business registraetion certificate
of the taxpayer, the reason for the suspension, revocation or cancellation and the effective
date of the cancellation, revocation or suspension. Written notice shall rbe served on the
taxpayer in accordance with section five-e, article ten of this chapter not less than twenty
days prior to the effective date of the cancellation, revocation or suspension. Acceptance of
service of notice shall be deemed to have occurred if completed as set forth in section five-e,
article ten of this chapter. The taxpayer may appeal cancellattion, revocation or suspension of
its business registration certificate by filing a petition for appeal with the Office of Tax
Appeals within twenty days immediately succeeding receipt of the service of notice to
suspend, revoke or cancel the business registration certificate. The filing of a petition for
appeal does not stay the effective date of the suspension, revocation or cancellation. A stay
may be granted only after a hearing is held on a motion to stay filed by the registrant upon
finding that state revenues will not be jeopardized by the granting of the stay. The Tax
Commissioner may, in his or her discretion and upon such terms as he or she may specify,
agree to stay the effective date of the cancellation, revocation or suspension until another
date certain.
(5) On or before July 1, 2005, the Tax Commissioner shall propose for promulgation
legislative rules establisLhing ancillary procedures for the Tax Commissioner's suspension of
business registration certificates for failure to pay delinquent personal property taxes
pursuant to paragrap h (F), subdivision (1) of this section. The rules shall at a minimum
establish any additional requirements for the provision of notice deemed necessary by the
Tax Commissioner to meet requirements of law; establish protocols for the communication
and verification of information exchanged between the Tax Commissioner, sheriffs and
others; and establish fees to be assessed against delinquent taxpayers that shall be
deposited into a special fund which is hereby created and expended for general tax
administration by the Tax Division of the Department of Revenue and for operation of the
Tax Division. Upon authorization of the Legislature, the rules shall have the same force and
effect as if set forth herein. No provision of this subdivision may be construed to restrict in
any manner the authority of the Tax Commissioner to suspend such certificates for failure to
pay delinquent personal property taxes under paragraph (C) or (F), subdivision (1) of this
section or under any other provision of this code prior to the authorization of the rules.
(c) Revocation, cancellation or suspension due to delinquent personal property tax. -- The
Tax Commissioner may revoke, cancel or suspend a business registration certificate when
informed in writing, signed by the county sheriff, that personal property owned by a
registrant and used in conjunction with the business activity of the a registrant is subject to
delinquent property taxes. The Tax Commissioner shall forthwith notify the registrant that
the commissioner will revoke, cancel or suspend the registrant's business registration
certificate unless information is provided evidencing that the taxes due are either
exonerated or paid.
(d) Refusal to issue, revocation, suspension and refusal to renew business registration
certificate of alter ego, nominee or instrumentality of a business that has previously been the
subject of a lawful refusal to issue, revocation, suspension or refuse to renew. -–
(1) The Tax Commissioner may refuse to issue a business registration certificate, or may
revoke a business registration certificate or may suspend a business registration certificate
or may refuse to renew a business registration certificate for any business determined by the
Tax Commissioner to be an alter ego, nominee or instrumentalityu of a business that has
previously been the subject of a lawful refusal to issue a business registration certificate or
of a lawful revocation, suspension or refusal to renew a busitness registration certificate
pursuant to this section, and for which the business registration certificate has not been
lawfully reinstated or reissued.
(2) For purposes of this section, a business is presulmed to be an alter ego, nominee or
instrumentality of another business or other bsusinesses if:
(A) More than twenty percent of the real aissets or more than twenty percent of the
operating assets or more than twentgy percent of the tangible personal property of one
business are or have been transferred to the other business or businesses, or are or have
been used in the operations of the other business or businesses, or more than twenty
percent of the real assets or more than twenty percent of the operating assets or more than
twenty percent of the tangible personal property of one business are or have been used to
collateralize or secure debts or obligations of the other business or businesses;
(B) Ownership of the businesses is so configured that the attribution rules of either Internal
Revenue Code section 267 or Internal Revenue Code section 318 would apply to cause
ownership of the businesses to be attributed to the same person or entity; or
(C) Substantive control of the businesses is held or retained by the same person, entity or
individual, directly or indirectly, or through attribution under paragraph (B) of this
subdivision.

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