(a) General.
(1) Duty to maintain and make available
records; examination and copying. Each taxpayer which determines its income
subject to tax pursuant to sections
25101
or
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code for income years beginning on or after January
1, 1994, is required to maintain and make available, upon request, records
regarding the determination of the components of any unitary business of which
it might be a part, the apportionment factors of such business, the
classification of an item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness, and the
attribution of income to either foreign jurisdictions of the United States for
the taxpayer and related parties under section 882, or Subpart F, or other
similar sections of the Internal Revenue Code. Records which are made available
are subject to examination and copying pursuant to section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(2) Penalty for failure to maintain records.
Failure to maintain such records shall subject the taxpayer to a monetary
penalty of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each income year for which the
failure occurs unless reasonable cause existed for the failure. If the failure
continues for a period of more than 90 days after notice of the failure has
been mailed, an additional penalty of ten thousand dollars $10,000) shall
accrue for each month for each income year in which the failure continues or
until the taxpayer demonstrates compliance with the record maintenance
requirements for the income year in which the examination occurs and subsequent
years to the satisfaction of the Franchise Tax Board. (See subsection (j) (4)
(B), infra.) For income years beginning on or after January 1, 1994 and prior
to December 31, 1995, such additional penalty shall not exceed fifty thousand
dollars ($50,000) per income year if the failure is not willful.
(3) Additional powers of the Franchise Tax
Board if a taxpayer does not make records available or is not authorized to act
as the limited agent of its related parties. In addition to the monetary
penalty described above, if a taxpayer fails to comply with a subpoena or
subpoena duces tecum for the records which the taxpayer is required to maintain
pursuant to section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, or if a taxpayer is not authorized to act as
the limited agent of its related parties solely for purposes of applying
section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the Franchise Tax Board, in its sole
discretion, and based upon its own knowledge or from other information which it
obtains, may determine the components of the unitary business or businesses of
which the taxpayer is a part, the apportionment factors of such business or
businesses, the classification of any item of income or loss received by a
component of such business or businesses as business or nonbusiness, and the
correct amount of income attributable to the United States or foreign
jurisdictions under section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the
Internal Revenue Code. The powers of the Franchise Tax Board under this
authority do not allow it to disregard a properly made election to file under
section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code. (See subsection (1)(2)
infra.)
(b) Definitions.
For purposes of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and this regulation--
(1) "Business income" is defined by
subdivision (a) of section
25120
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
Business income is subject to apportionment by formula amongst California and
the other jurisdictions where the taxpayer has a taxable presence.
(2) A "combined report" means the
calculations by which a unitary business apportions income on a geographic
basis. In a combined report, the aggregate business income from all activities
required to be included in the combined report computation (determined pursuant
to either section
25101
or
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code) is apportioned to this state using the
apportionment formula described in sections
25128
through
25137
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(3) A "combined report group" means all
corporations or other entities whose income and apportionment factors are
required to be considered pursuant to Chapter 17 of the Bank and Corporation
Tax Law, determined pursuant to either section
25101 or section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, as the case may be, in computing the income
of the particular taxpayer for the current year which is derived from or
attributable to sources within this state.
(4) "Excluded entity" means a related party
which is not included, for whatever reason, in the combined report used to
determine the taxpayer's liability imposed by Part 10.2 and Part 11 of the
Revenue and Taxation Code.
(5)
"Foreign Related Party" means a corporation that is not created or organized
under the laws of a state of the United States or the United States and which
is a related party as defined in subsection (b)(9).
(6) "Maintained," except as otherwise
provided in subsections (e) (1) (B)1., (e) (1) (B) 2. and (m), means retained
and preserved either in original form, on microfilm or microfiche, or in
electronic media. "Maintained," except as provided above, does not mean to
create or establish records.
(7)
"Nonbusiness income" is defined by subdivision (d) of section
25120
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
Nonbusiness income is allocated to a specific jurisdiction.
(8) "Records" include any books, papers, or
other data, on whatever medium recorded. A record will normally encompass all
matters included within section
250 of the
Evidence Code.
(9) "Related Party"
means corporations that are related because one owns or controls directly or
indirectly more than 50 percent of the voting stock of the other or because
more than 50 percent of the voting stock of each is owned or controlled,
directly or indirectly, by the same interests. A corporation need not be a
taxpayer as defined in section
23037
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, and need not be included in any combined
report filed pursuant to section
25101
or
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, in order to be considered a related party.
Corporations are considered related for purposes of this section if the
over-50-percent-ownership or control standard is met at any time during the
taxpayer's income year. If any corporation described above has more than a
fifty-percent interest in the capital or profits of a domestic or foreign
partnership or limited liability company (if such company is treated as a
partnership for purposes of Part 11 of the Revenue and Taxation Code), such
partnership or limited liability company shall be considered a related party
for purposes of this section. A limited liability company which is not treated
as a partnership for purposes of Part 10, Part 10.2 or Part 11 of the Revenue
and Taxation Code shall be treated as a corporation for purposes of determining
whether it is a "related party."
(10) "Related party group" means the taxpayer
and all related parties as defined in subsection (b) (9).
(11) A "unitary business" consists of those
activities required to be included in a combined report pursuant to section
25101
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and the cases decided thereunder and reported
in official published decisions of the courts of this state or the California
State Board of Equalization, and in decisions of the United States Supreme
Court construing the "unitary business principle." Activities constitute a
"unitary business" if unity of ownership, unity of operation, and unity of use
are present, or if the activities carried on within the state contribute to or
are dependent upon the activities carried on without the state, or if there is
a flow of value between the activities. (See Regulation section
25120(b) which
sets forth certain indicia and standards for determining whether activities
constitute a single trade or business and are therefore unitary.
(12) Except as otherwise provided in this
regulation or otherwise defined by the Revenue and Taxation Code, the
definitions contained in Evidence Code sections
110,
115,
210,
225,
255,
260 and
1271 shall
apply in implementing this regulation.
(c) General record maintenance requirements.
(1)
(A)
Reserved.
(B)
1. Except as provided in subsections (c)(1)
(B) 3. and (c) (1) (B) 4. of this regulation, a taxpayer that has made a proper
election under section
25111
of the Revenue and Taxation Code needs to maintain records necessary to
determine the components of the unitary business or businesses of which it is a
part, the apportionment factors and the classification of any item of income or
loss as business or nonbusiness, as described by paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) of
subdivision (a) of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, only with respect to those entities and
activities required to be included in the combined report under section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
2. In addition to the records required by
subsection (c) (1) (B) 1., a taxpayer which has made a proper election under
section
25111
of the Revenue and Taxation Code needs to maintain records sufficient to
determine the proper attribution of income to either foreign jurisdictions or
the United States for the taxpayer and other related parties. Records which a
taxpayer is required to maintain for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal
Revenue Code shall be sufficient for purposes of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the extent they relate to equivalent
transfer pricing issues.
3. Except
as provided in subsection (c) (1)(B) 4. of this regulation, those taxpayers
which have made a proper election under section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code need to maintain for entities not required to
be included in the combined report pursuant to section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the records required to be maintained for
purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code, and records relating
to ownership and capital structure as required by subsection (e) (2) (E) of
this regulation.
4. Notwithstanding
the provisions of subsection (c)(1)(B) 3., a taxpayer shall be required to
maintain some or all of the records detailed in subsections (e) (2) (A) through
(e) (2) (H) for entities excluded pursuant to an election under section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code if it is determined by the Franchise Tax
Board, in its sole discretion, that those records are necessary to properly
determine the components of the unitary business or businesses of which it is a
part, the apportionment factors of such business, the classification of any
item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness income, and the proper
attribution of income to foreign jurisdictions or the United States under
section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the Internal Revenue Code.
The taxpayer shall be notified of the duty to maintain, or to cause another to
maintain, the record by letter signed by the Executive Officer, the Chief
Counsel, or an Assistant Executive Officer of the Franchise Tax Board. The duty
to maintain the records shall apply to the first income year of the taxpayer
beginning after the date of the letter of notification and shall continue until
the Franchise Tax Board notifies the taxpayer that it is no longer required to
maintain these records with respect to excluded entities. A taxpayer that fails
to maintain the records after notification shall be subject to the penalties
provided in subdivision (c) and (d) of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
5. Examples
EXAMPLE 1: P, a United States corporation doing business
in California, owns 100 percent of the stock of F, a corporation incorporated
in Foreign Country X. F is the European distribution agent for tangible
personal property manufactured in the United States by S. Pursuant to section
25111
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, P elected to report on a water's-edge basis
and excluded F from its combined report. Because F is excluded from the
combined report filed by P, records created by F that would be relevant to
determining its apportionment factors and the correct classification of its
income or loss as business or nonbusiness will generally not be subject to the
record maintenance requirement of this section. If, however, on audit it is
determined that the income and apportionment factors of F are required to be
included in the combined report filed by P (because, for example, F is
determined at audit to have Subpart F income as defined in section 952 of the
Internal Revenue Code), all records relevant to determining the apportionment
factors or the classification of income or loss as business or nonbusiness will
be subject to the record maintenance requirements of this section. (See
subsection (j) (2) for application of reasonable cause exception for avoiding
penalties.)
EXAMPLE 2: F, a foreign incorporated entity, creates Sub1
and Sub2, wholly owned United States subsidiaries, in order to purchase
tangible property from unrelated parties in the United States and resell such
property to F. The property purchased by Sub1 and Sub2 is either used in F's
business or resold to other unrelated parties by F. Sub1 is doing business in
California. Sub2 is located in New York and is not a California taxpayer. The
sole function of Sub1 and Sub2 is to act as a buyer for F. There are no
transactions between Sub1 and Sub2. Because F is not required to be included in
the combined report pursuant to section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the records of F and Sub2 maintained for
purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code and the records
required by subsection (e) (2) (E) of this regulation are subject to the record
maintenance requirements of this section. In addition, F and Sub2 may be
subject to additional record maintenance requirements as provided in subsection
(c) (1) (B) 3. of this regulation.
EXAMPLE 3: RC, a California taxpayer, is owned 100
percent by F, a foreign country corporation. RC determines its California
taxable income on the basis of a worldwide combined report. RC purchases
tangible property from F for resale in the United States. Because RC files a
worldwide combined report, any potential audit issue with respect to the
treatment of these transactions under section
24725
of the Revenue and Taxation Code (section 482 of the Internal Revenue Code) is
not relevant to determine the correct amount of any liability imposed by Part
10.2 and Part 11 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Therefore, RC is not
required to maintain the material profit and loss statements described in
subsection (e) (2) (B). RC and F are required to maintain all other records
specified in subsection (e) (2).
(C)
1.
Under section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the Franchise Tax Board may require any
taxpayer or related party to render such statements, or keep such specific
records as will enable the Franchise Tax Board to determine the correct
liability for any of the taxes imposed by Part 10.2 and Part 11 of the Revenue
and Taxation Code.
2. Such records
must be permanent, accurate, and complete. They must clearly establish income,
deductions and credits. Additionally, in appropriate cases, such records must
include sufficient relevant cost data from which a profit and loss statement
may be prepared for products or services transferred between members of a
combined report of which the taxpayer is a part and any excluded
entity.
3. Taxpayers which are
subject to the record maintenance requirements of section 6038 A of the
Internal Revenue Code for equivalent profit and loss statement data shall meet
the record maintenance requirements of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the extent such records relate to
equivalent transfer pricing issues. In many circumstances, such equivalent
profit and loss statement data, except as might otherwise be provided in this
regulation, will not satisfy the requirement that a taxpayer maintain records
regarding the determination of the components of any unitary business of which
it might be a part, the apportionment factors of such business, or the
classification of an item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness, or the
proper attribution of income to foreign jurisdictions or the United States
under section 882, Subpart F, or other similar provisions of the Internal
Revenue Code (other than section 482).
(D)
1.
These general record maintenance requirements include records of the taxpayer
and all members of the combined report of which the taxpayer is a part, as well
as records of any excluded entity that may be relevant to determine the correct
California tax liability imposed by Part 10.2 and Part 11 of the Revenue and
Taxation Code.
2. The relevance of
such records with respect to transactions with any excluded entity shall be
determined upon the basis of all the facts and circumstances.
3. Records which have been determined to be
sufficient for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code shall be
sufficient for purposes of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code if the issues to which they relate are
equivalent. In many circumstances, records which have been determined to be
sufficient for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code, except
as might otherwise be provided in this regulation, will not satisfy the
requirement that a taxpayer maintain records regarding the determination of the
components of any unitary business of which it might be a part, the
apportionment factors of such business, the classification of an item of income
or loss as business or nonbusiness, or the proper attribution of income to
foreign jurisdictions or the United States under section 882, Subpart F, or
other similar provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (other than section
482).
(2)
(A) Safe Harbor. A safe harbor for record
maintenance is provided under subsection (e), which sets forth detailed
guidance concerning the types of records to be maintained with respect to the
correct preparation of a combined report and transactions with any excluded
entity. The safe harbor consists of an all-inclusive list of record types that
could be relevant to different taxpayers under a variety of facts and
circumstances. It does not constitute a checklist of records that every
taxpayer must maintain or that generally should be requested by the Franchise
Tax Board. A taxpayer is required to maintain or cause another to maintain, and
the Franchise Tax Board will request, only those records enumerated in the safe
harbor that may be relevant to its business or industry for purposes of
determining the components of any unitary business of which the taxpayer might
be a part, the apportionment factors of such business, and the classification
of any item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness; and determining the
attribution of income to the United States or foreign jurisdictions under
section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the Internal Revenue Code,
including material profit and loss statements that may be relevant for purposes
of determining the proper attribution of income between the combined report
group and an excluded entity. Accordingly, not every item listed in the safe
harbor must be maintained by every taxpayer. A taxpayer that maintains or
causes another person to maintain the records listed in subsection (e)(2) that
may be relevant to the unitary business of which it is a part and to its
transactions with any excluded entity will be deemed to have met the record
maintenance requirements of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(B) The ability to use reasonable
approximations provided for in Regulation section
25137-6,
Title 18 of the
California Code of Regulations does not, however, mean that a taxpayer or
related party is excused from the duty to maintain the records both of the data
upon which such approximations were made and the manner in which they were
made.
(d) Other
record maintenance requirements.
(1)
Indirectly related records.
(A) This
subsection (d) applies to records that are directly or indirectly related to
transactions between the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part
and any excluded entity to the extent they are relevant to determine the
components of the unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part and the
proper attribution of income to the United States or foreign jurisdictions. An
example of records that are indirectly related to such transactions is records
possessed by a foreign subsidiary of an excluded entity that documents the raw
material or component costs of a product that is manufactured or assembled by
the subsidiary and sold as a finished product by the excluded entity to the
combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part.
(B) Records which a taxpayer is required to
maintain for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code by the
Internal Revenue Service shall be sufficient for purposes of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the extent they relate to equivalent
transfer pricing issues. In many circumstances, records required to be
maintained for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code, except
as might otherwise be provided in this regulation, will not satisfy the
requirement that a taxpayer maintain records regarding the determination of the
components of any unitary business of which it might be a part, the
apportionment factors of such business, or the classification of an item of
income or loss as business or nonbusiness.
(2) Foreign related party or third-party
maintenance. If records that are required to be maintained under section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code are in the control of a foreign related party,
the records may be obtained or compiled (if not already in the possession of
the foreign related party or already compiled) under the direction of the
taxpayer and then maintained by the taxpayer, the foreign related party, or a
third party. Thus, for example, a foreign related party may either itself
maintain such records outside the United States or permit a third party to
maintain such records, provided that the conditions described in subsection (g)
are met. Upon a request for such records by the Franchise Tax Board, a foreign
related party may make arrangements with the Franchise Tax Board to furnish the
records directly, rather than through the taxpayer.
(3)
(A)
Translation of records. When records are provided pursuant to the Franchise Tax
Board's request for production, any portion of such records, except as provided
in subsections (B) and (C) of this subsection, must be translated into the
English language within 30 days of a request for translation of that portion by
the Franchise Tax Board.
(B) There
is no requirement to translate records which have already been translated and
for which the translation has been or is being provided, or to translate
records the substance of which is reflected on ledger sheets or other summary
accounting records.
(C) To the
extent that
1. any requested records for
which translations are requested are identical to records that have already
been translated, an explanation of how such records are identical may be
provided in lieu of translating the records, or
2. there are numerous records of a similar
nature, translation of an appropriate sampling of the records may be offered in
lieu of translating all of such records.
The taxpayer may, however, be required to translate all
or part of the records described in subsections
1. and 2. if it is determined that
such translation is necessary to perform or complete an
audit.
(D) An
extension of the 30-day time period provided for in subsection (d) (3) (A) of
this regulation may be requested under subsection (g) (3). Appropriate
extensions will be liberally granted for translation requests where
circumstances warrant.
(E) If a
good faith effort is made to accurately translate the requested records within
the specified time period, the taxpayer will not be subject to the penalties
provided for in section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(F) For purposes of subsection (e) (2) (A), a
taxpayer which prepares audited consolidated financial statements, and which
maintains supporting documentation which meets the financial accounting
standards of the United States in all material respects, will not be required
to translate records described in such subsection other than the audited
consolidated financial statements with footnotes, consolidating workpapers by
entity, and the summary consolidating data submitted to the parent
corporation.
(e) Specific records to be maintained for
safe harbor.
(1) In general.
(A) A taxpayer that maintains or causes
another person to maintain the records specified in this subsection (e) that
are relevant to the unitary business or businesses of which it is a part, and
to the attribution of income to the United States or foreign jurisdictions
under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including the correct
California tax treatment of its transactions with an excluded entity, will be
deemed to have met the record maintenance requirements of this section. This
subsection provides general descriptions of the categories of records to be
maintained; the particular title or label applied by the taxpayer or a related
party does not control. Functional equivalents of the specified records are
acceptable. Record maintenance in accordance with this safe harbor, however,
requires only the maintenance of the types of records described in subsection
(e) (2) that are relevant to the determination of the components of any unitary
business of which the taxpayer may be a part, the apportionment factors of such
business included in the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part,
the classification of an item of income or loss includable in such combined
report as business or nonbusiness, and the determination of the attribution of
income to the United States or foreign jurisdictions under section 882, Subpart
F, or other similar sections of the Internal Revenue Code. Additionally, to the
extent the taxpayer establishes to the satisfaction of the Director, Multistate
Audit Program Bureau or the Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax
Board employee designated by the Executive Officer that records in a particular
category are not applicable to the above issues, maintenance of such records is
not required under this subsection. Except as provided in subsections (e) (1)
(B) and (C), record maintenance in accordance with subsections (c) through (g)
generally does not require the original creation of records that are ordinarily
not created by the taxpayer or any related parties in the ordinary course of
business. If, however, a record that is actually created is described in
subsection (e), it is to be maintained even if the record is not of the type
ordinarily created by the taxpayer or any related parties.
(B) Exceptions.
1. Basic accounting records that are
sufficient to document the California tax effects of transactions between
related parties must be created and retained, if they do not otherwise exist,
and,
2. Records sufficient to
produce material profit and loss statements, as described in subsections (e)
(2) (B) 1. and (e) (2) (B)1.c., that are relevant for determining the
California tax treatment of transactions between the combined report group of
which the taxpayer is a part and an excluded entity must be created if such
records are not maintained in the ordinary course of business.
3. For purposes of subsection (e) (1) (B) 1.,
"basic accounting records" are of the type which the Internal Revenue Service
would accept for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue
Code.
(C) Storage,
retrieval and retention procedures. All record retention procedures and
policies in effect for each income year must be retained and provided upon
request. All internal records storage and retrieval systems used for each
income year must be retained. If an internal records storage and retrieval
system is changed or revised and the data relating to prior years is revised to
conform to the new system without loss of integrity, the prior systems may be
discarded.
(2)
Descriptions of categories of records to be maintained. The following records
must be maintained in order to satisfy this subsection (e) to the extent they
may be relevant to determine the correct treatment of an item or entity for
purposes of section
25101
or
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, or the correct California tax treatment of
transactions between the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part
and an excluded entity.
(A) Financial and tax
data.
1. General. This category includes
relevant financial statements, workpapers, and books and records of original
entry or their functional equivalents, however designated or labeled. Examples
include, but are not limited to, general ledgers, sales journals, purchase
order books, cash receipts books, cash disbursement books, canceled checks and
bank statements, workpapers, sales contracts, purchase invoices, financial
statements with footnotes and consolidating workpapers by entity, summary
consolidating data submitted to the corporate parent of a group of a
corporations, consolidating journal entries and explanations, cost accounting
allocations and workpapers, budgets and cash flow projections, all federal tax
filings with supporting schedules and workpapers, tax accrual workpapers,
partnership tax returns, and financial statements for any partnership in which
the taxpayer or any related party is a partner. Descriptive material to
explicate entries in the foregoing types of records, such as a chart of
accounts and accounting policy manuals, is included in this category.
2. Exceptions. In the case of a group of
related entities which prepare and maintain audited consolidated financial
statements, the maintenance of such financial statements with footnotes and
consolidating workpapers by entity, the summary consolidating data submitted to
the corporate parent by the affiliates, and all federal tax filings with
supporting schedules and workpapers, including tax accrual workpapers will
satisfy the duty to maintain the records described in this category unless the
Franchise Tax Board can demonstrate that there is reason to believe that any of
such records are incomplete or might not be accurate.
(B)
1.
Profit and loss statements.
a. This category
includes records from which the taxpayer can compile and supply, within a
reasonable time, material profit and loss statements of the taxpayer and all
related parties as defined in subsection (b) (9) that reflect profit or loss of
the related party group attributable to U.S.-connected products or services as
defined in subsection (e)(6) (A).
b. The determination of whether a profit and
loss statement is material is made under the rules provided in subsection (e)
(3).
c. The material profit and
loss statements described herein must reflect the consolidated revenue and
expenses of all members of the related party group. Thus, records in this
category include the documentation of the cost of raw materials used by a
related party to manufacture finished goods that are then sold to the taxpayer
by that related party or another related party. The records should be kept
under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles if they are ordinarily
maintained in such manner; if not, an explanation of the material differences
between the accounting principles used and U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles must be made available. The statements need not reflect tracing of
the actual costs borne by the related party group with respect to its
U.S.-connected products or services; rather, any reasonable method may be used
to allocate the related party group's worldwide costs to the revenues generated
by the sales of those products or services. An explanation of the methods used
to allocate specific items to a particular profit and loss statement must be
made available. The explanation of material differences between accounting
principles and the explanation of allocation methods must be sufficient to
permit a comparison of the profitability of the related party group to that of
the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part that is attributable
to the provision of U.S.-connected products or services.
2. Records which a taxpayer is required to
maintain for purposes of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code by the
Internal Revenue Service shall satisfy the requirements of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the extent they relate to equivalent
transfer pricing issues. In many circumstances, records maintained for purposes
of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code, except as might otherwise be
provided in this regulation, will not satisfy the requirement that a taxpayer
maintain records regarding the determination of the components of any unitary
business of which it might be a part, the apportionment factors of such
business or the classification of an item of income or loss as business or
nonbusiness.
(C)
Apportionment factor records.
1. This
category includes books and records for each separate entity in the combined
report group for which apportionment factor numerators and denominators, as
defined in sections
25129
through
25137
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, are determined.
2. To the extent apportionment factor data is
determined pursuant to the provisions of Regulation section
25137-6, Title 18, California Code
of Regulations, which allows for the use of reasonable approximations, the
records required to be maintained are those which properly reflect the data and
the methods necessary to compute reasonable approximation of the apportionment
factors.
3. Examples include, but
are not limited to, fixed asset ledgers by location with details of historical
cost by year of acquisition; inventory records by location, including details
of inventory in-transit at year end; workpapers or other records detailing the
asset valuation methodologies, including copies of any independent appraisals
in support of asset values; rental and lease agreements with unrelated parties;
payroll records, including payroll ledgers by location and California Forms
DE-3; sales journals and invoices detailing sales of tangible personal property
by shipping point origin and destination; and records documenting the
reasonable fair market rental rate for property owned by unrelated parties and
used at no charge, or rented for a nominal rate, by the taxpayer and any
related party.
(D)
Foreign country and third party filings.
1.
This category includes financial and other documents filed with or prepared for
any U.S. or foreign government entity, any independent commission, or any
financial institution.
2. Examples
include, but are not limited to, SEC filings; Federal Forms 940/941 and
equivalent foreign jurisdiction employment tax return filings; PUC, FAA and
similar reports detailing the location of movable assets; and records
maintained pursuant to the Hart, Scott, Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of
1976, 15 U.S.C. Section
1311 et seq.
(E) Ownership and capital structure records.
This category includes:
1. records or charts
showing the relationship between the taxpayer and all related
parties;
2. the location,
ownership, and entity status (for example, joint venture, partnership, branch,
or division) of the taxpayer and all related parties; a worldwide organization
chart;
3. records for non-publicly
traded entities and closely held entities showing the names and relationships
of all shareholders and their voting record;
4. analyses prepared for, or at the direction
of, the Board of Directors or officers of the entity involved or the parent
corporation regarding acquisitions, dispositions and reorganizations involving
the taxpayer and any related party;
5. agreements regarding acquisitions,
dispositions, and reorganizations involving the taxpayer and any related party;
and
6. loan documents, agreements,
and other documents relating to any transfer of the stock, or other incident of
ownership, of the taxpayer or a related party that results in the change of
status as a related party.
(F) Management structure.
1. This category includes records showing the
management relationship, including any centralized or decentralized services,
between the taxpayer and all related parties.
2. Examples include, but are not limited to,
for each income year for the taxpayer and all related parties,
a. records detailing the corporate officers,
directors, and top management;
b.
records or charts showing the management structure;
c. job descriptions of each of the officers
of the taxpayer and related parties;
d. minutes of the Board of Directors meetings
and meetings of Committees of the Board of Directors or management, or
Committees appointed by either, including all exhibits and agendas;
e. personnel files detailing transfers of
officers, managers or key technical personnel among members of the related
party group;
f. correspondence
files of directors and officers and in-house memoranda directed to them,
including electronic mail files to the extent reduced to written form or
otherwise maintained in electronic media such as tape or disk;
g. employee newsletters subject to formal
corporate retention restrictions;
h. manuals, guides, and handbooks providing
employees instructions on corporate policy, procedures, training, and other
corporate matters; and
i. internal
audit reports.
(G) Records of sales transactions.
1. This category includes all records
relevant to establishing the extent of, nature of, and appropriate price or
rate for transactions between the combined report group of which the taxpayer
is a part and any excluded entity to the extent they are relevant to determine
either the components of the unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part
or the attribution of income between the United States and foreign
jurisdictions.
2. Examples include,
but are not limited to,
a. records related to
transactions involving the same or similar products or services entered into by
any member of the combined report group or an excluded entity with related and
unrelated parties;
b. shipping and
export records;
c. commission
agreements;
d. records relating to
production or assembly facilities;
e. third-party and intercompany purchase
invoices;
f. manuals,
specifications, and similar records relating to or describing the performance
of functions conducted at particular locations;
g. intercompany correspondence discussing any
instructions or assistance relating to such transactions provided to any member
of the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part by any excluded
entity (or vice versa);
h.
intercompany and intracompany correspondence concerning the price or the
negotiation of the price used in such transactions;
i. records related to the value and ownership
of intangibles used or developed by any member of the combined report group of
which the taxpayer is a part or any excluded entity;
j. records relating to cost of goods sold and
other expenses; and
k. records
related to direct and indirect selling, and general and administrative expenses
(for example, relating to advertising, sales promotions, or
warranties).
3. Records
which a taxpayer is required to maintain for purposes of section 6038 A of the
Internal Revenue Code by the Internal Revenue Service shall satisfy the
requirements of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the extent they relate to equivalent
transfer pricing issues. In many circumstances, records maintained for purpose
of section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue Code, except as might otherwise be
provided in this regulation, will not limit the duty of a taxpayer to maintain
records regarding the determination of the components of any unitary business
of which it might be a part, the apportionment factors of such business, or the
classification of an item of income or loss as business or
nonbusiness.
(H) Records
of loans, services, and other non-sales transactions. This category includes
relevant records relating to:
1. loans
(including all deposits by an excluded entity or member of the combined report
group of which the taxpayer is a part with an unrelated party and a subsequent
loan by that unrelated party to an excluded entity or member of the combined
report group of which the taxpayer is a part that is in substance a direct loan
between a member of such combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part
and an excluded entity);
2.
guarantees by an excluded entity of debts of any member of the combined report
group of which the taxpayer is a part, and vice versa;
3. hedging arrangements or other risk
shifting or currency risk shifting arrangements involving any member of the
combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part and any excluded
entity;
4. security agreements
between any member of the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part
and any excluded entity;
5.
research and development expense allocations between any excluded entity and
any member of the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a
part;
6. research and development
project logs, including details regarding the entities involved in the project
and the general purpose of the project;
7. service and other operating agreements and
transactions between any excluded entity and any member of the combined report
group of which the taxpayer is a part, including, for example, a description of
the allocation of charges for management services, with supporting records such
as time reporting, telephone, or travel records, or allocation
studies;
8. common
advertising/marketing agreements, brochures, product catalogs, and other
similar records;
9. agreements or
other records for shared use of facilities or equipment between or among any
related parties;
10. import and
export transactions between any member of the combined report group of which
the taxpayer is a part and any excluded entity;
11. the registration of patents, trademarks,
copyrights and other similar property with respect to transactions between any
member of the combined report group of which the taxpayer is a part and any
excluded entity; and
12. records
regarding lawsuits in foreign countries or the United States that relate to
such transactions between any member of the combined report group of which the
taxpayer is a part and any excluded entity (for example, product liability
suits for U.S. products).
(3) Material profit and loss statements.
(A) For purposes of subsection (e) (2) (B),
the determination of whether a profit and loss statement is material will be
made according to the following rules.
1. An
agreement between the taxpayer and the Director, Multistate Audit Program
Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee
desingated by the Executive Officer, as described in subsection (f), may
identify material profit and loss statements of the related party group and
describe the items to be included in any profit and loss statements for which
records are to be maintained to satisfy the requirements of subsection (e) (2)
(B).
2. In the absence of such an
agreement, a profit and loss statement will be material if it meets either of
the following tests:
a. the existing records
test described in subsection (e) (4), or
b. the significant industry segment test
described in subsection (e) (5).
(B) An agreement entered into with the
Internal Revenue Service pursuant to the authority granted by section 6038 A of
the Internal Revenue Code shall be accepted by the Franchise Tax Board to the
extent equivalent transfer pricing issues are involved.
(4) Existing records test. A profit and loss
statement is material under the existing records test described herein if any
member of the related party group creates or compiles such statement in the
course of its business operations and the statement reflects the profit or loss
of the related party group attributable to the provision of U.S.-connected
products or services (regardless of whether the profit and loss attributable to
U.S.-connected products or services is shown separately or included within the
calculation of aggregate figures on the statement). For example, a profit and
loss statement is described herein if it was produced for internal accounting
or management purposes, or for disclosure to shareholders, financial
institutions, government agencies, or any other persons. Such existing
statements and the records from which they were compiled (to the extent such
records relate to profit and loss attributable to U.S.-connected products or
services) are subject to the record maintenance requirements described in
subsection (e)(2) (B).
(5)
Significant industry segment test.
(A) In
general. A profit and loss statement is material under the significant industry
segment test described herein if--
1. The
statement reflects the profit or loss of the related party group attributable
to the group's provision of U.S.-connected products or services within a single
industry segment (ass defined in subsection (e)(6) (B);
2. The worldwide gross revenue attributable
to such industry segment is 10 percent or more of the worldwide gross revenue
attributable to the related party group's combined industry segments;
and
3. The amount of gross revenue
earned by the related party group from the provision of U.S.-connected products
or services within such industry segment is $25 million or more in the income
year.
(B) Form of the
statements. Profit and loss statements compiled for the related party group's
provision of U.S.-connected products or services in each significant industry
segment must reflect revenues and expenses attributable to the operations in
such segment by all members of the related party group. Statements may show
each related party's revenues and expenses separately, or may be prepared in a
consolidated format. Any reasonable method may be used to allocate the group's
worldwide costs within the industry segment to the U.S.-connected products or
services within that segment. An explanation of the methods used to prepare
consolidated statements and to allocate specific items to a particular profit
and loss statement must be made available, and the records from which the
consolidations and allocations were prepared must be maintained.
(C) Special rule for component sales. Where
the U.S.-connected products or services consist of components that are
incorporated into other products or services before sale to customers, the
portion of the total gross revenue derived from sales of the finished products
or services attributable to the components may be determined on the basis of
relative costs of production. Thus, where relevant for determining whether the
$25 million threshold in subsection (e) (5) (A) 3. has been met, the amount of
gross revenue derived by the related party group from the provision of the
finished products or services may be reduced by multiplying it by a fraction,
the numerator of which is the costs of production of the related party group
attributable to the component products or services that constitute
U.S.-connected products or services and the denominator of which is the costs
of production of the related party group attributable to the finished products
in which such components are incorporated.
(D) Level of specificity required. In
applying the significant industry segment test of this subsection (e) (5),
groups of related products and services must be chosen to provide a reasonable
level of specificity that results in the greatest number of separate
significant industry segments in comparison to other possible classifications.
This determination must be made on the basis of the particular facts presented
by the operations of the related party group. The following rules, however,
provide general guidelines for making such classifications. First, the related
party group's operations that involve the provision of U.S.-connected products
should be grouped into product lines. The rules of this subsection (e) (5)
should then be applied to determine if any such product line would, standing
alone, constitute a significant industry segment when compared to the related
party group's operations as a whole. Any significant industry segments
determined at the level of product lines should be further segregated, and
tested for significant industry segments, at the level of separate products.
Finally, any significant industry segments determined at the level of separate
products should be segregated, and tested for significant industry segments, at
the level of separate models. Similar principles should be applied in
classifying and testing types of services. A profit and loss statement
reflecting the related party group's provision of any product or service (or
group of products or services as classified under these rules) that constitute
a significant industry segment will be considered material for purposes of this
subsection (e) (5). For definitions of the terms "product," "related products
or services," "model," and "product line," see subsection (e)
(6).
(6) Definitions. The
following definitions apply for purposes of subsections (e) (2) (B) and (e)
(5).
(A) U.S.-connected products or services.
The term "U.S.-connected products or services" means products or services that
are imported to or exported from the United States by transfers between the
unitary business of which the taxpayer is a member and an excluded
entity.
(B) Industry segment. An
industry segment is a segment of the related party group's combined operations
that is engaged in providing a product or service or a group of related
products or services (as defined in subsection (e) (6) (G) primarily to
customers that are not members of the related party group.
(C) Gross revenue of an industry segment.
Gross revenue of an industry segment includes receipts (prior to reduction for
cost of goods sold) both from sales to customers outside of the related party
group and from sales or transfers to other industry segments within the related
party group (but does not include sales or transfers between members of the
related party group within the same industry segment). Interest from sources
outside the related party group and interest earned on trade receivables
between industry segments is included in gross revenue if the asset on which
the interest is earned is included among the industry segment's identifiable
assets, but interest earned on advances or loans to other industry segments is
not included.
(D) Identifiable
assets of an industry segment. The identifiable assets of an industry segment
are those tangible and intangible assets of the related party group that are
used by the industry segment, including assets that are used exclusively by
that industry segment and an allocated portion of assets used jointly by two or
more industry segments. The value of an identifiable asset may be determined
using any reasonable method (such as book value or fair market value) applied
consistently. Any allocation of assets among industry segments must be made on
a reasonable basis, and a description of such basis must be provided. Assets of
an industry segment that transfers products or services to another industry
segment shall not be allocated to the receiving segment. Assets that represent
part of the related party group's investment in an industry segment, such as
goodwill, shall be included in the industry segment's identifiable assets.
Assets maintained for general corporate purposes (that is, those not used in
the operations of any industry segment) shall not be allocated to industry
segments.
(E) Operating profit of
an industry segment. The operating profit of an industry segment is its gross
revenue (as defined in subsection (e) (6) (C)) minus all operating expenses.
None of the following shall be added or deducted in computing the operating
profit of an industry segment: revenue earned at the corporate level and not
derived from the operations of any industry segment; general corporate
expenses; interest expense; domestic and foreign income taxes; and other
extraordinary items not reflecting the ongoing business operations of the
industry segment.
(F) Product. The
term "product" means an item of property (or combination of component parts)
that is the result of a production process, is primarily sold to unrelated
parties (or incorporated by the related party group into other products sold to
unrelated parties), and performs a specific function.
(G) Related products or services. The term
"related products or services" means groupings of products and types of
services that reflect reasonable accounting, marketing, or other business
practices within the industries in which the related party group
operates.
(H) Model. The term
"model" means a classification of products that incorporate particular
components, options, styles, and any other unique features resulting in product
differentiation. Examples of models are electronic products that are sold or
accounted for under a single model number and automobiles sold under a single
model name.
(I) Product line. The
term "product line" means a group of products that are aggregated into a single
classification for accounting, marketing, or other business purposes. Examples
of product lines are groups of products that perform similar functions;
products that are marketed under the same trade names, brand names, or
trademarks; and products that are related economically (that is, having similar
rates of profitability, similar degrees of risk, and similar opportunities for
growth).
(f)
Agreements regarding record maintenance.
(1)
In general. The Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel,
Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the
Executive Officer may negotiate and enter into an agreement with the taxpayer
that establishes the records the taxpayer must maintain or cause another to
maintain, how and by whom the records must be maintained, and the period of
retention for the records in order to satisfy the taxpayer's obligations under
this section.
(2) Content of
agreement.
(A) The agreement may include
provisions that vary the rules contained in these regulations relating to the
authorization of agent requirement (subsection (n)), the record maintenance
requirements (subsections (c) through (g)), and the production (subsections (g)
(2) and (3)) and translation (subsection (d) (3)) time periods.
(B) In addition, an agreement may include
provisions for the calculation of reasonable approximations for purposes of
Regulation 25137-6, Title 18, California Code of Regulations, and the records
necessary to support such calculations
(C) The Director, Multistate Audit Program
Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee
designated by the Executive Officer shall generally require a taxpayer to
maintain or cause another to maintain only those records specified under the
safe harbor provisions of subsection (e) that permit an adequate audit of the
franchise or income tax liability of the taxpayer and to provide such
authorizations of agent that permit adequate access to such records. In most
instances, required record maintenance for a particular taxpayer under a
negotiated agreement will be less than the broad range of records described
under the safe harbor provisions. For example, to the extent specific items
such as apportionment factor data are determined pursuant to the provisions of
Regulation section
of Title
1825137-6 of
Title 18 of the California Code
of Regulations, which allows for the use of reasonable approximations, a
taxpayer may negotiate a record maintenance agreement that limits the records
required to be maintained with respect to those items to only those records
which the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax
Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer
agree are relevant and necessary to enable the determination of reasonable
approximations.
(D) A provision
specifying the effective date and the expiration date of the agreement that may
vary the effective date of the regulations may be included.
(E) A taxpayer is entitled to rely upon the
agreement to the extent therein provided, or until it is notified that the
agreement is being terminated. Termination by notification shall only apply
with respect to income years beginning subsequent to the date of
notification.
(3)
Circumstances of agreement. The Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or
Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated
by the Executive Officer generally will enter into an agreement under this
subsection (f) upon written request by the taxpayer when it is believed that
the Franchise Tax Board has or can obtain sufficient knowledge of the business
or industry of the unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part to limit
the record maintenance requirement to particular records.
(4) Federal agreement on transfer pricing
issues. If the Internal Revenue Service has entered into an agreement pursuant
to the authority granted to it under section 6038 A of the Internal Revenue
Code with respect to record maintenance requirements involving transfer pricing
issues which are equivalent to issues presented to the Franchise Tax Board,
such an agreement shall be accepted by the Franchise Tax Board. In most
circumstances, such an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, except as
might otherwise be provided in this regulation, shall not limit the duty of a
taxpayer to maintain records regarding the determination of the components of
any unitary business of which it might be a part, the apportionment factors of
such business, or the classification of an item of income or loss as business
or nonbusiness.
(g)
United States maintenance of records.
(1)
General rule. Records that must be maintained under this section must be
maintained within the United States, unless the conditions described in
subsection (g) (2) are met.
(2)
Non-U.S. maintenance requirements. A taxpayer may maintain or cause another to
maintain outside the United States records not ordinarily maintained in the
United States but required to be maintained in the United States under this
section.
(A) However, the taxpayer must
either:
1. Deliver to the Franchise Tax Board
the original records (or duplicates) requested within 60 days of the request by
the Franchise Tax Board for such records and provide translations, subject to
the provisions of subsection (d) (3) of this regulation, of such records within
30 days of a request for translations of specific records; or
2. Within 60 days of the request of the
Franchise Tax Board for such records, move the original records (or duplicates)
requested to the United States, provide the Franchise Tax Board with an index
to the requested records, the name and address of a custodian located within
the United States having control over the records, and the address where the
records are located. The taxpayer shall continue to maintain the records within
the United States throughout the period of retention described in subsection
(i). (For subpoena or subpoena duces tecum procedures with respect to records
that have been moved to the United States, see sections
19141.6(d) (2)
(A) and 19504 of the Revenue and Taxation
Code.)
(B) With respect
to any material profit and loss statements required to be created (either under
subsection (e) or under an agreement with the Director, Multistate Audit
Program Bureau Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board
employee designated by the Executive Officer, unless otherwise specified, "120
days shall be substituted for "60 days" in subsection (g) (2), and labels and
text with respect to such statements shall be in the English
language.
(3) Scheduled
production for high volume or other reasons. Upon a written request, for good
cause shown, the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel,
Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the
Executive Officer may grant an extension of the time for the production or
translation of the requested records. Such requests should be made within 30
days of the request for records by the Franchise Tax Board. If an extension is
needed because of the volume of records requested or the amount of translation
requested, the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate
Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive
Officer may allow production or translation to be scheduled over a period of
time so that not all records need be produced or translated at the same
time.
(4) Required U.S.
maintenance. The Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel,
Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the
Executive Officer, with the concurrence of the Chief Counsel of the Franchise
Tax Board, may require, for cause, the maintenance within the United States of
any records specified in subsection (e). Such a requirement will be imposed
only if there exists a clear pattern of failure to maintain or timely produce
the required records. The assessment of a monetary penalty under section
19141.6(c)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and this regulation for failure to maintain
records is not necessarily sufficient to require the maintenance of records
within the United States.
(h) Examination and copying of records.
(1) Records shall be sorted and labeled to
correspond to the categories of records which have been requested or shall be
produced in the form in which they are kept in the usual course of
business.
(2) Records which are
compiled, stored or maintained on computers or electronic media may be provided
in either printed or electronic form. If records are provided in electronic
form, a taxpayer must comply with the procedures specified in Revenue Procedure
91-59, Cumulative Bulletin 1991-2 841, and provide such records on a medium
which includes both the data and the program which the party maintaining the
record uses to compile and analyze the data and instructions for the use of
such program.
(3) Records shall be
produced for examination and copying at the District Office of the Franchise
Tax Board which is performing the audit of the taxpayer, at the headquarters of
the taxpayer, or at any other location within the United States which is
convenient to both the taxpayer and the Franchise Tax Board. Production will
occur during normal business hours unless the parties mutually agree to
production at other hours.
(4)
Large record productions.
(A) For large
record productions, a taxpayer may request reimbursement for the cost of
copying records, at a rate not to exceed the cost at which the Franchise Tax
Board can contract for the services of a third-party copying service, if the
Franchise Tax Board will not copy, or arrange for the copying of, the records
at the place of delivery.
(B) A
large record production is a record production involving the copying of in
excess of 1,000 pages of records provided that the auditor for the Franchise
Tax Board has been allowed to examine all of the records and designate those
records which are to be copied.
(5) Records which are copied for purposes of
complying with the United States maintenance or records required under the
provisions of subsection (g) of this regulation do not constitute a large
record production.
(i)
Period of retention.
(1) Except as provided
in subsection (4) of this subsection, records for any income year shall be
retained for the longer of:
(A) the period of
time in which the taxpayer's income or franchise tax liability to this state
may be subject to adjustment, including all periods in which additional income
or franchise taxes may be assessed, but not to exceed eight years from the due
date or extended due date of the return,
(B) the period of time during which a protest
pursuant to section
19041
of the Revenue and Taxation Code with respect to such income year is
pending,
(C) the period of time
during which an appeal to the State Board of Equalization pursuant to sections
19045
through
19048
of the Revenue and Taxation Code with respect to such income year is pending,
and
(D) the period of time during
which a lawsuit for the refund of franchise or income taxes paid with respect
to such income year is pending in the courts of this state or of the United
States.
(2) The period of
time during which a matter is pending includes the period of time between when
the action is taken on a matter and when that action is final.
(3) Examples.
(A) Taxpayer A files its return for the
income year ended December 31, 1994, on October 17, 1995. A does not execute
any waiver of the statute of limitations with either the Franchise Tax Board or
the Internal Revenue Service. The period of time for which A must maintain the
required records ends on October 17, 1999.
(B) Taxpayer B files its return for the
income year ended December 31, 1994, on October 17, 1995. B executes a waiver
of the statute of limitations with the Internal Revenue Service which extends
the date for assessing California franchise or income tax until December 15,
2004. The period of time for which B must maintain the required records ends on
October 17, 2003, eight years from the extended due date of the
return.
(C) Taxpayer C files its
return for the income year ended December 31, 1994, on October 17, 1995. C does
not execute any waiver of the statute of limitations with either the Franchise
Tax Board or the Internal Revenue Service. The Franchise Tax Board issues a
timely notice of proposed assessment for the income year which C protests.
After the protest is denied on November 15, 2000, C files an appeal with the
State Board of Equalization and then pays the tax, converting the appeal from a
denial of a protest to a claim for refund. The State Board of Equalization
decides C's appeal on December 15, 2004. C files a timely petition for
rehearing which is acted upon on June 15, 2005. C does not file a suit for
refund from the denial of its appeal. The period of time for which C must
maintain the required records ends on September 14, 2005, the day after the
time period in which it could file a suit for refund pursuant to section
19384
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(4) A taxpayer need not maintain records
described in subdivision (a) of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code for any period beyond that specified in
subsection (i) (1) (A) of this regulation, to the extent that the records are
not relevant to the subject matter of a dispute existing at the end of that
period as evidenced by a pending protest, appeal, claim for refund, or suit for
refund filed by the taxpayer or any member of the combined report group of
which it is a member.
(j)
Monetary penalty.
(1) Imposition of monetary
penalty.
(A) In general. If a taxpayer fails
to maintain or cause another to maintain records as required by this
regulation, or, in the case of records maintained outside the United States,
fails to meet the non-U.S. record maintenance requirements within the
applicable time prescribed in subsection (g), a penalty of $10,000 shall be
imposed for each income year with respect to which such failure occurs, subject
to the approval of a majority of the Franchise Tax Board, itself.
(B) Calculation of monetary penalty. If a
taxpayer fails to maintain or cause another to maintain records as required by
this regulation for multiple related parties, the monetary penalty may be
imposed for each failure to maintain records with respect to each related
party. The monetary penalty, however, shall be imposed on a taxpayer only once
for an income year with respect to each related party for a failure to maintain
or cause another to maintain records, or for a failure to comply with the
non-U.S. maintenance requirements described in subsection (g). Thus, unless
such failures continue after notification as described in subsection (j) (4)
(A), the maximum penalty under subsection (j) with respect to each related
party for all such failures in an income year is $10,000. Each member of a
unitary business that is a taxpayer shall be jointly and severally liable for
any monetary penalty that may be imposed under this
section.
(2) Reasonable
cause.
(A) In general. Certain failures,
including not maintaining or causing another to maintain records as required by
this regulation, and not complying with the non-U.S. maintenance requirements
described in subsection (g), may be excused for reasonable cause. If an
affirmative showing is made that the taxpayer acted in good faith and there is
reasonable cause for a failure that results in the imposition of the monetary
penalty, the period during which reasonable cause exists shall be treated as
ending not earlier than the last day on which reasonable cause existed for any
such failure. Additionally, the beginning of the 90-day period after mailing of
a notice by the Franchise Tax Board of a failure described in subsection (j)
(4) (A) shall be treated as not earlier than the last day on which reasonable
cause existed.
(B) Affirmative
showing required.
1. In general. To show that
reasonable cause exists for purposes of subsection (j) (2) (A), the taxpayer
must make an affirmative showing of all the facts alleged as reasonable cause
for the failure in a written statement containing a declaration that it is made
under penalties of perjury. The statement must be filed with the Director,
Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a
Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer. The Director,
Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a
Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer, as
appropriate, shall determine whether the failure was due to reasonable cause,
and if so, the period of time for which reasonable cause existed. If records
have been maintained as required by subsections (c) through (g), except for an
omission of, or error with respect to, some of the records required or a record
to be maintained, the omission or error shall not constitute a failure for
purposes of section
19141.6(c)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code if the taxpayer establishes to the
satisfaction of the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel,
Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the
Executive Officer that it has substantially complied with the requirement to
maintain records under section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and this regulation.
2. Small corporations. The Director,
Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a
Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer shall apply
the reasonable cause exception liberally in the case of a small corporation
that had no knowledge of the requirements imposed by section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, has limited presence in and contact with
California, and promptly and fully complies with all requests by the Director,
Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a
Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer to furnish
books, records, or other relevant materials. A small bank or corporation is an
entity whose gross receipts or net assets for an income year are $50,000,000 or
less.
3. Facts and circumstances
taken into account. The determination of whether a taxpayer acted with
reasonable cause and in good faith is made on a case-by-case basis, taking into
account all pertinent facts and circumstances, including the actions of related
parties. Circumstances that may indicate reasonable cause and good faith
include an honest misunderstanding of fact or law that is reasonable in light
of the experience and knowledge of the taxpayer. Isolated computational errors
or errors in transcription generally are not inconsistent with reasonable cause
and good faith. Reliance upon an information return or on the advice of a
professional (such as an attorney or accountant) does not necessarily
demonstrate reasonable cause and good faith. Similarly, reasonable cause and
good faith is not necessarily indicated by reliance on facts that, unknown to
the taxpayer, are incorrect. Reliance on an information return, professional
advice or other facts, however, may constitute reasonable cause and good faith
if, under all the circumstances, the reliance was reasonable.
4. Determinations of members of a combined
report group. In determining whether reasonable cause exists for the failure to
maintain records with respect to the determination of the combined report group
of which the taxpayer is a member, the apportionment factors of such group and
the business or nonbusiness income characterization of the receipts of such
group, due regard will be given to the facts and circumstances nature of the
determination. A consistent filing position from year to year, especially where
the taxpayer's filing position has been reviewed and accepted at audit or
subsequently, shall be a factor to consider in determining reasonable
cause.
5. Reasonable cause
includes, but is not limited to, destruction as a result of theft, riot, war or
by an act of God, such as earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, or similar natural
disaster.
(C) Review of
finding of no reasonable cause. A taxpayer, in addition to the right to seek a
review of whether reasonable cause existed through administrative or judicial
proceedings, may file a petition for review of the determination with the
Franchise Tax Board, itself, not more than 60 days after it has been notified
by either the Director of the Multistate Audit Program Bureau or the Counsel,
Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the
Executive Officer that reasonable cause did not exist for its failure to
maintain records.
(3)
Failure to maintain records or to cause another to maintain records. A failure
to maintain records or to cause another to maintain records is determined by
the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax
Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer
upon the basis of the taxpayer's and its related parties' overall compliance
(including compliance with the non-U.S. maintenance requirements under
subsection (g) (2)) with the record maintenance requirements. It is not an
item-by-item determination. Thus, for example, a failure to maintain a single
or small number of items may not constitute a failure for purposes of section
19141.6(c)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, unless the item or items are essential to the
correct determination of the components of the unitary business of which the
taxpayer is a part, the apportionment factors of such business, the
classification of an item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness, or the
determination of the attribution of income to the United States or foreign
jurisdictions under section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the
Internal Revenue Code. The Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or
Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated
by the Executive Officer shall notify the taxpayer in writing of any
determination that it has failed to comply or failed to cause another to comply
with the record maintenance requirement.
(4) Increase in penalty where failure
continues after notification.
(A) In general.
If any failure described in section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code continues for more than 90 days after the day
on which the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate
Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive
Officer mails notice of the failure to the taxpayer, the taxpayer shall pay a
penalty (in addition to the penalty described in subsection (j) (1)) of $10,000
with respect to each related party for which a failure occurs for each 30-day
period during which the failure continues after the expiration of the 90-day
period. Any uncompleted fraction of a 30-day period shall count as a 30-day
period for purposes of this subsection (j) (4).
(B) Cessation of accrual. The monetary
penalty will cease further accrual if the taxpayer demonstrates compliance with
respect to the maintenance of records (in the case of a failure to maintain
records) for the income year in which the examination occurs and subsequent
years to the satisfaction of the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or
Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated
by the Executive Officer. The monetary penalty also will cease to accrue if
requested records, kept outside the United States under the requirements of
subsection (g)(2) and not produced within the time specified, are produced or
moved to the United States under the rules of subsection (g)(2)(A)2.
(C) Imposition of accrued penalties. A
monetary penalty which has accrued under this section may be imposed at any
time after it has accrued as long as the taxpayer's return for the income year
remains subject to the assessment of additional taxes.
(D) Limitation on amount of accrual. For
income years beginning on or after January 1, 1994 and before December 31,
1995, the additional penalty imposed by subdivision (c) (2) of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code for failure to maintain or failure to cause
another to maintain records as required by subdivision (a) of section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code shall not exceed a maximum of fifty thousand
dollars ($50,000) per related entity (see subsection (j) (1) (B) of this
regulation).
(5) Improper
use of threat of penalties.
(A) No member of
the staff of the Franchise Tax Board may threaten the imposition of a penalty
provided for in section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code in an effort to obtain the agreement of a
taxpayer to an audit adjustment.
(B) A taxpayer may report any threatened
misuse of a penalty provided for in section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the Taxpayers' Rights Advocate who shall
investigate the alleged threat. The findings of the Taxpayers' Rights Advocate
shall be presented in writing to the Franchise Tax Board, itself, with the copy
provided to the taxpayer reporting the alleged threat.
(C) If it is concluded that the imposition of
a penalty proposed under section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code was threatened in an effort to obtain an
agreement to an audit adjustment, any penalty assessed will be withdrawn and,
if paid, will be refunded with appropriate interest.
(D) Negotiations entered into under the
authority of section
19442
of the Revenue and Taxation Code which include a penalty or penalties assessed
pursuant to section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code shall not constitute a
threat.
(k)
Failure to furnish records.
(1) In general. In
addition to costs and any other sanctions or penalties imposed for failure to
furnish records or testimony, the rules of subsection (1) may be applied with
respect to the determination of the components of any unitary business of which
the taxpayer is a part, the apportionment factors of such business, the
classification of an item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness, and the
determination of the attribution of income to the United States or foreign
jurisdictions under section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the
Internal Revenue Code (including any transaction engaged in by a partnership
that is attributed to the unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part) if
a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum is issued to the taxpayer to produce any
records or testimony, either directly or as agent for any related party, to
determine the correct treatment under Part 10, Part 10.2, and Part 11 of the
Revenue and Taxation Code of the above described issues if--
(A)
1. The
subpoena or subpoena duces tecum is not quashed in a proceeding, if any, begun
under section
19141.6(d)
(3) of the Revenue and Taxation Code and is
not determined to be invalid in a proceeding, if any, begun under section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to enforce such subpoena or subpoena duces
tecum; and
2. The taxpayer does not
substantially and timely comply with the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum, and
the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax
Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer
has sent by certified or registered mail a notice under section
19141.6(d)(1) (C)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to the taxpayer that is has not so complied;
or
(B) The taxpayer fails
to maintain or to cause another to maintain records as required by this
regulation, and by reason of that failure, the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum
is quashed or modified, in a proceeding, if any, under section
19141.6(d)
(3) of the Revenue and Taxation Code or in a
proceeding, if any, begun under section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code to enforce the subpoena or subpoena duces
tecum, or the taxpayer is not able to provide the records requested in the
subpoena or subpoena duces tecum.
(2) Enforcement proceeding not required. The
Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs,
or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer is not
required to begin an enforcement proceeding to enforce the subpoena or subpoena
duces tecum in order to apply the rules of subsection (1).
(3) De minimis failure. Where the taxpayer's
failure to comply with the requirement to furnish records or testimony under
this section is de minimis, the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or
Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated
by the Executive Officer, in the exercise of discretion, may choose not to
apply the noncompliance penalty. Thus, for example, in cases where a particular
record or group of records is not furnished upon request or subpoena, the
Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs,
or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer, in their
sole discretion, may choose not to apply the noncompliance penalty if they deem
the record or records not to have significant or sufficient value in the
determination of the correctness of the tax treatment of the components of any
unitary business of which the taxpayer may be a part, the apportionment factors
of such business, the classification of an item of income or loss as business
or nonbusiness, and the attribution of income to the United States or foreign
jurisdictions under section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the
Internal Revenue Code.
(4)
Suspension of statute of limitations. If the taxpayer brings an action under
section
19141.6(d)(3) (A)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code (proceeding to quash) or section
19141.6(d) (3)
(B) of the Revenue and Taxation Code (review
of Franchise Tax Board determination of noncompliance), the running of any
period of limitation under section
19057
of the Revenue and Taxation Code (relating to assessment and collection of tax)
for the income year or years to which the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum that
is the subject of such proceeding relates shall be suspended for the period
during which such proceeding, and appeals therefrom, are pending. In no event
shall any such period of limitation expire before the 90th day after the day on
which there is a final determination in such proceeding.
(5) Imposition of the monetary penalties
provided for in this section and the use by the Franchise Tax Board of the
powers provided by this section shall not foreclose the Franchise Tax Board
from recovering any costs, penalties or sanctions associated with the issuance,
enforcement, or defense of a motion to quash the subpoena or subpoena duces
tecum which are otherwise recoverable.
(l) Noncompliance.
(1) In general. In the case of any failure
described in subsections (k) or (m), provided the requirements of section
19141.6(d) (2)
are met, the rules of subsection (1) apply in addition to any other sanctions
or penalties imposed. In such a case all of the following may be determined by
the Franchise Tax Board--
(A) Subject to the
limitations of subsection (
l) (2), the components that are a
part of any unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part for purposes of
determining the income derived from or attributable to this state pursuant to
section
25101 or section
25110
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, and
(B) The apportionment factors for purposes of
Article 2 (commencing with section
25120) of Chapter 17 of Part 11 of
the Revenue and Taxation Code, and
(C) Amounts that are attributable to the
classification of an item of income or loss as business or nonbusiness income
for purposes of Article 2 (commencing with section
25120) of Chapter 17 of Part 11 of
the Revenue and Taxation Code, and
(D) the correct amount of income under
section 882, Subpart F, or other similar sections of the Internal Revenue
Code.
(2) Limitation on
determinations of the components of a unitary business. The Franchise Tax Board
shall not exercise its power to determine the components of a unitary business
to add an entity or entities which were properly excluded pursuant to an
election to report under section
25110 et seq. of the Revenue and
Taxation Code.
(3) Determination of
the items. The determination of the items described in subsections
(l) (1) (A) through (D) shall be made by either the Director,
Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a
Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer, in the sole
discretion, from such knowledge, or from such information as the individual may
choose to obtain through testimony or otherwise. The Director, Multistate Audit
Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board
employee designated by the Executive Officer shall consider any information or
materials that have been submitted by the taxpayer or a related party. The
Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs,
or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer, however,
may disregard any information, documents, or records submitted by the taxpayer
or the related party if, in their sole discretion, they are deemed
insufficiently probative of the relevant facts.
(4) Separate application. If the
noncompliance penalty of this section applies with respect to records of a
related party, it will not be applied with respect to any other related parties
of the taxpayer solely upon the basis of that failure. Thus, for example, if a
unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part engages in transactions with
related party A and related party B, and the taxpayer does not comply with a
subpoena or subpoena duces tecum for records related to the transactions
between the unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part and related party
A, the noncompliance penalty imposed as a result of such failure will not
automatically apply to the transactions between the unitary business of which
the taxpayer is a part and related party B. If a separate subpoena or subpoena
duces tecum is issued for records relating to the transactions between the
unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part and related party B and the
taxpayer does not produce such records, the noncompliance penalty may be
applied to those transactions.
(5)
Review of determination. A determination made by either the Director,
Multistate Audit Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a
Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the Executive Officer shall be
subject to the review of the Franchise Tax Board, itself, conducted in open
session. To overcome a determination made by the Director, Multistate Audit
Program Bureau or Counsel, Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board
employee designated by the Executive Officer, a taxpayer must demonstrate that
the determination is arbitrary or capricious or is not supported by substantial
evidence.
(6) Determination made
pursuant to paragraph (d) of Section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code may be appealed to the State Board of
Equalization, in the manner and at such time, as provided by Sections
19045
and
19324
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, or may be subject of an action to recover
tax, in the manner and at such time, as provided by Section
19382
of the Revenue and Taxation Code solely on the basis of whether the
determinations were arbitrary or capricious, or were not supported by
substantial evidence.
(7) No
employee shall discuss with a taxpayer, or otherwise threaten, the potential
exercise of the power to redetermine without the express prior written
authorization of the Director, Multistate Audit Program Bureau or the Counsel,
Multistate Tax Affairs, or a Franchise Tax Board employee designated by the
Executive Officer. The power set forth in this subsection (
l)
shall not be exercised to make a redetermination unless prior to its exercise:
(A) the Executive Officer receives a written
recommendation that the power be exercised to make the particular
redetermination and the taxpayer is provided a copy of this recommendation
prior to delivery to the Executive Officer,
(B) the particular redetermination is
expressly approved by the Executive Officer, following notice to the taxpayer
as provided in subsection (A) herein, and an opportunity to be heard by the
Executive Officer is provided to the taxpayer or its designated
representative,
(C) the exercise of
the power and the particular redetermination are each supported by written
findings of fact accompanied by detailed specifications of the evidence upon
which the findings are based,
(D) a
copy of the proposed findings and detailed specifications is provided to the
taxpayer prior to consideration by the Executive Officer, and
(E) the taxpayer, regardless of whether it
has exercised the opportunity to be heard by the Executive Officer, shall
thereafter have all statutory rights of review subject to such limitations as
otherwise may be established by section
19141.6
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and this regulation.
The power to make a redetermination under Revenue &
Taxation Code section
19141.6(d)(1)
or (d) (2) (A) (i), (iii), or (iv) shall not be exercised except in full
compliance with this regulation.
(m) Failure to maintain.
(1) General. Notwithstanding any other
provisions of this regulation, a taxpayer which has not maintained, or caused
to be maintained, the records described in subsection (e) shall be required to
maintain records in the form, manner, and location, as specifically described
or enumerated by the Franchise Tax Board.
(2) Establishing failure to maintain. A
failure to maintain, or cause to be maintained, shall be demonstrated by the
assessment of the penalty, or penalties, provided for in subdivision (c) of
section
19141.6 of the Revenue and
Taxation Code. If such penalties are withdrawn, or are not sustained, the
taxpayer shall be excused from its duty to maintain the records specifically
described and enumerated by the Franchise Tax Board.
(3) Method of notification of duty to
maintain. The taxpayer shall be notified of the duty to maintain, or to cause
to be maintained, specific records by letter signed by the Executive Officer,
the Chief Counsel, or an Assistant Executive Officer of the Franchise Tax
Board.
(4) Period of time to which
the duty to maintain applies. The duty to maintain specific records shall apply
to the first income year of the taxpayer beginning after the date of the letter
of notification and shall continue until the Franchise Tax Board notifies the
taxpayer that it is no longer specifically required to maintain the records
specified.
EXAMPLE: The taxpayer is a calendar year taxpayer. A
penalty for failure to maintain records is assessed with respect to the income
year 1996 on June 15, 1998. A letter notifying the taxpayer of the duty to
maintain specific records is mailed on September 12, 1999. The duty to maintain
the specific records exists for the income year beginning January 1,
2000.
(5) Records which can
be specifically required to be maintained. The Franchise Tax Board may only
require a taxpayer to maintain those records which are ordinarily created in
the normal course of business, including the filing of state tax returns. Such
records include, but are not limited to, profit and loss statements, balance
sheets, financial consolidating workpapers if financial consolidation is a
requirement of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles of the country in
which the taxpayer or the corporate owner of the taxpayer is domiciled, records
for the determination of the value of each of the apportionment factors and
assignment of such values to the numerator of the apportionment factors,
records supporting the classification of income as business or nonbusiness, and
records of all transactions with affiliates for each separate entity which is a
member of the combined report group as determined by the taxpayer or as
previously determined by the Franchise Tax Board in its most recent audit of
the taxpayer.
(6) Penalty for
failure to maintain specified records. A taxpayer which fails to maintain the
records specified in the manner, form and location specified by the Franchise
Tax Board shall be subject to the monetary penalties provided in subsection
(j). A taxpayer may also be subject to the determinations provided for in
section
19141.6(d)
(2) of the Revenue and Taxation Code if the
requirements of section
19141.6(d) (1)
are met. A taxpayer may be excused from the penalty if it shows by clear and
convincing evidence that such failure was due to reasonable cause.
(7) Review of records required to be
maintained.
(A) Franchise Tax Board. A
taxpayer may seek a review of the reasonableness of the list of records which
it is notified are required to be maintained, the form in which they are to be
maintained, and the place where they are to be maintained by petition to the
Franchise Tax Board, itself. Such review shall be conducted in a regular
meeting of the Franchise Tax Board, itself, conducted in open session and shall
be limited only to the extent determined by the Franchise Tax Board, itself.
The Franchise Tax Board, itself, shall determine what information or
presentations it wishes to have made. Factors which the Board shall weigh in
its consideration of the reasonableness of the records required to be
maintained shall include the difficulties in obtaining necessary records
encountered in prior audits of the taxpayer, the nature and extent of the
records required to be maintained, the extent to which such records are
normally created and maintained in the regular course of business and the
availability of other alternatives. The Franchise Tax Board, itself, may modify
the specification of the records to be maintained in any manner which it finds
to be proper.
(B) Other review.
Nothing in this section shall limit a taxpayer from seeking such other review
of the requirement that it maintain specified records in the form and location
specified as may be provided in law.
(n) Authorization of agent.
(1) Failure to authorize. The rules of
subsection (l) shall apply to the determination of the
components of any unitary business of which the taxpayer is a part, the
apportionment factors of such business, the classification of an item of income
or loss as business or nonbusiness, and the determination of the attribution of
income to the United States or foreign jurisdictions under section 882, Subpart
F, or other similar sections of the Internal Revenue Code (including any
transaction engaged in by a partnership that is attributed to the unitary
business of which the taxpayer is a part), unless each related party authorizes
(in the manner described in subsection (n) (2)) the taxpayer to act as its
limited agent solely for purposes of section 19504 with respect to any request
by the Franchise Tax Board to examine records or produce testimony that may be
relevant to the tax treatment of the items described above or with respect to
any subpoena or subpoena duces tecum by the Franchise Tax Board for such
records or testimony. The appearance of persons or the production of records by
reason of the bank or corporation being an agent shall not subject those
persons or records to the legal process for any purpose other than determining
the correct treatment under Part 10, Part 10.2 and Part 11 of the items
described in section
19141.6(a)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(2) Authorization by related party.
(A) In general. Upon written request by the
Franchise Tax Board, a related party shall authorize the taxpayer as its agent
solely for purposes of section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code. The authorization must be signed by an
officer of the related party possessing the authority to authorize an agent for
purposes of section 416.10 of the Rules of Civil Procedure. The taxpayer will
accept this appointment by providing a statement to that effect, signed by an
officer of the taxpayer possessing the authority to accept such an appointment.
The agency shall be effective at all times.
(B) The authorization shall be submitted in a
form pre-approved by the Franchise Tax Board.
(3) Foreign affiliated groups.
(A) In general. A corporation that has
effective legal authority to make the authorization of agent under subsection
(n) (2) on behalf of any group of foreign related parties may execute such an
authorization for any members of the group. A single authorization may be made
on a consolidated basis. In such a case, the common parent must attach a
schedule to the authorization of agent form stating which members of the group
would otherwise be required to separately authorize the taxpayer as agent. The
schedule must provide the name, address, relationship to the taxpayer, and
California and U.S. taxpayer identification number, if applicable, of each
member.
(B) Application of
noncompliance penalty adjustment. In circumstances where a consolidated
authorization of agent has been executed, if the agency authorization for any
member of the group is not legally effective for purposes of section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the noncompliance penalty adjustment under
section
19141.6(d)
of the Revenue and Taxation Code and subsection (l) of this
regulation shall apply.
(4) Legal effect of authorization of agent.
The legal consequences of a related party authorizing a taxpayer to act as its
agent for purposes of section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code are as follows.
(A) Agent for purposes of commencing judicial
proceedings. A taxpayer that is authorized by a related party to act as its
agent for purposes of section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code (including service of process) is also the
agent of the related party for purposes of--
1. The filing of a petition to quash under
section
19141.6(d) (1)
(A) of the Revenue and Taxation Code or a
petition to review a Franchise Tax Board determination of noncompliance under
section
19141.6(d) (1)
(B) of the Revenue and Taxation Code,
and
2. The commencement of a
judicial proceeding to enforce a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum under section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code, whether commenced in conjunction with a
petition to quash under section
19141.6(d) (3)
(A) of the Revenue and Taxation Code or
commenced as a separate proceeding in the Superior Courts of the Counties of
Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego, or the City and County of San
Francisco.
(B) Related
party found where taxpayer found. For any purposes relating to section
19504
of the Revenue and Taxation Code (including service of process), a related
party that authorizes a taxpayer to act on its behalf under section
19141.6(d) (2)
(B) of the Revenue and Taxation Code and
subsection (n) may be found anywhere where the taxpayer has residence or is
found in California.
(5)
Successors in interest. A successor in interest to a related party must execute
the authorization of agent as described in subsection (n) (2).
(6) Deemed compliance.
(A) In general. In exceptional circumstances,
the Franchise Tax Board may treat a taxpayer as authorized to act as agent for
a related party for purposes of section
19504,
California Revenue and Taxation Code, in the absence of an actual agency
appointment by the related party, in circumstances where the actual absence of
an appointment is reasonable. Factors to be considered include:
1. If neither the taxpayer nor the other
party to the transaction knew or had reason to know that the two parties were
related at the time of the transaction, and
2. The extent to which the taxpayer
establishes to the satisfaction of the Franchise Tax Board that all
transactions between the taxpayer and the related party were on arm's length
terms and did not involve the participation of any known related
party.
(B) Reason to
know. Whether the taxpayer or other party had reason to know that the two
parties were related at the time of the transaction will be determined by all
the facts and circumstances.
(C)
Effect of deemed compliance. If a taxpayer is deemed under this subsection (n)
(6) to have been authorized to act as an agent for a foreign related party for
purposes of section
19504,
California Revenue and Taxation Code, such deemed compliance is applicable only
for that particular transaction and other reportable transactions entered into
prior to the time when the taxpayer knew or had reason to know that the related
party, in fact, was related. The noncompliance rule of subsection
(l) shall apply to any transaction subsequent to that time
with the same related party, unless the related party actually authorizes the
taxpayer to act as its agent under subsection (n) (1) of this section. In
addition, the record maintenance requirements of subsection (g) will apply to
all subsequent transactions and, with respect to prior transactions, will apply
to relevant records in existance at the time the relationship was
discovered.