Columbia Missouri Audit Reveals Uncollected Sales Taxes

Jun 14, 2012 | Susan McLain

Columbia Missouri Vehicle Sales Tax Delinquency

Apparently a number of residents of Columbia, Missouri failed to note they were Columbia residents when they registered their vehicles between November 2008 and the end of 2011. That failure to identify themselves as Columbia residents prevented the Columbia sales tax from being collected.

In a recent audit, the city discovered the oversight on the taxpayers' part and “…will inform those individuals who bought vehicles from November 2008 to 2011 to pay up if they did not pay the sales tax.” Payment will be treated “…as part of our normal monthly sales tax collections,” says Columbia Finance Director John Blattel.

The outstanding debts total almost $150,000. The city’s 2012 fiscal year budget from motor vehicle sales tax collections is $470,000, but it has received only $370,000. Columbia city has a 2% city sales tax, whereas the county rate is 1.13%.

To prevent future vehicle sales tax oversights, the "...state licensing offices have begun to use geospatial information systems to verify addresses."

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Avalara Author

Susan McLain

Avalara Author Susan McLain

Susan McLain began her career as a technical writer in technology industries such as satellite networking and medical devices. Her skills encompass technical and marketing writing, usability engineering, verification and validation testing and protocol writing, requirements development, business analysis, technical illustration/graphic design and marketing. She has owned her own business providing service to small to medium sized business and in other positions, she has been in project management, documentation and marketing. She is currently the content specialist for Avalara helping to “make sales tax less taxing.”