For those who don’t know, I used to reside in California. I prepare more California tax returns than any other state’s returns (though it is no longer a majority–or even close to a majority–of my clients). I have a lot of experience in dealing with California’s income tax agency, the Franchise Tax Board.
The FTB, like the IRS, has a practitioner priority service. And you actually get through to humans when you call the number. Though not available on the FTB’s practitioner line, several FTB numbers have “call back” service. The recording tells you how long the average wait time is (e.g., between 45 minutes and 72 minutes), and you can elect to wait on hold or enter your phone number and the system will call you back when it’s your turn to be first in the queue. The system has one “flaw”: I’ve been called back faster than the average wait time.
The FTB also has an annual meeting with the California Society of Enrolled Agents (CSEA). The FTB posted in its December Tax News how to deal with partial year dispositions and late partial disposition elections for tax years 2012-2014.
Yet for all the excellence in how the FTB communicates some of the FTB’s practices leave a lot to be desired. Back in 2013, the FTB invented law related to qualified small business stock. The FTB was convicted of committing fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress in the Gilbert Hyatt matter. This case will be heard for the second time at the US Supreme Court next week. The Hyatt case is just one example of what appears to me to be the normal FTB strategy: Delay cases and make things as expensive as possible for litigants.
And the FTB has also been persnippity and literal at times. You definitely want your paperwork to be exactly right when dealing with them. So you have to take the bad with the good when dealing with the FTB.
Tags: FTB
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