Special to
L’Observateur

BATON ROUGE — Individuals and businesses who have fallen behind on their taxes have until Friday to take advantage of Louisiana Tax Amnesty.

“With only one week left to apply, we are reminding noncompliant taxpayers to take advantage of tax amnesty,” Secretary of Revenue Tim Barfield said.

“We encourage anyone who has fallen behind on their taxes to look into the amnesty program before the opportunity ends.”

The 30-day tax amnesty program, which ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday, gives delinquent taxpayers and non-filers the opportunity to bring their accounts up to date.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue will waive all applicable penalties, along with 50 percent of accrued interest, when taxpayers pay 100 percent of their tax balance.

Taxpayers can apply for amnesty online at www.ldrtaxamnesty.com. An application can be completed in approximately five minutes.

The 2014 tax amnesty program also offers the opportunity for eligible taxpayers to pay their overdue taxes in installments over a six-month period. Installment agreements require a down payment of at least 20 percent of the amount owed, with final payment due no later than May 1.

There are approximately 450,000 noncompliant tax accounts in Louisiana owing $1.8 billion, according to the Department of Revenue’s records.

Noncompliant taxpayers have a limited amount of time to take advantage of amnesty. According to Act 822 of the 2014 legislative session, after the conclusion of an amnesty period scheduled for 2015, there will be no new amnesty program administered by the Department of Revenue until at least 2025.

For more information, visit www.ldrtaxamnesty.com or call 866-782-9241.