Arizona Offers Tax Relief for Victims of Sandy

The Arizona Department of Revenue has announced that it is extending filing and payment deadlines for victims of Hurricane Sandy. The Arizona relief is similar to the relief provided by the IRS. Applicable interest and penalties will also be suspended.

Any payments or filings due October 26 through October 31 are now automatically eligible for a 60-day extension. Filings or payments due any time in November now have a 30-day extension. So long as the filings or payments are made during the extension period, penalties and interest will be waived.

As of this writing, the Arizona tax relief applies to:

• Transaction privilege (sales) and use taxes;
• Luxury taxes;
• Withholding taxes;
• Income taxes (corporate and individual);
• Estimated payments.

Tax relief may be extended and additional tax returns may be added to the above list at a later date, if the recovery from Storm Sandy necessitates such a move.

Also eligible for the tax relief detailed above are relief workers aligned with a recognized organization.

Arizona taxpayers should write "Hurricane Sandy" on top of the first page of returns and any correspondences related to this tax relief. Taxpayers incorrectly assessed penalties or interest during the extension period should write to:

Penalty Review Unit -- "Hurricane Sandy"
Arizona Department of Revenue
1600 W Monroe
Phoenix, AZ, 85007-2650

The Arizona Department of Revenue does not anticipate Hurricane Sandy to have a significant impact on state revenue.