Department of Taxation and Finance

Tax Processing Division: Results of the 1996-97 Tax Amnesty Program

In New York State's 1996-97 Tax Amnesty Program, residents who had not filed tax returns or who had underpaid a liability were allowed to file returns and pay back taxes and interest without penalty. The Program was expected to generate more than $100 million in net revenue (net of expenses and the revenue that would have been collected without the Program). The Department of Taxation and Finance was required by law to report how much revenue was collected as a result of the Amnesty Program. We examined the accuracy of the amount reported by the Department ($129.3 million in net revenue) and determined that it should be reduced to about $29.4 million, mainly because revenue that would have been collected without the Amnesty Program and penalties that would have been assessed in the absence of the Amnesty Program were not fully or accurately accounted for.

For a complete copy of Report 98-S-12 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.