Penalties and interest; untimely return; failure to pay; false or fraudulent returns; failure to file returns; dyed fuel oil violations.

(b) When any distributor fails to pay the tax or any part of the tax due under Code Section 48-9-3, the distributor shall be subject to a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of unpaid taxes due.

(c) In the case of a false or fraudulent return or of a failure to file a return, a specific penalty of 50 percent of the tax due shall be assessed.

(d) When any distributor fails to pay the tax or any part of the tax due under Code Section 48-9-3, the distributor shall pay interest on the unpaid tax at the rate specified in Code Section 48-2-40 from the time the tax became due until paid.

(e) When any person:

(1) Sells or delivers any dyed fuel oil when such person knows or has reason to know that the fuel will be consumed in a highway use; or

(2) Consumes any dyed fuel oil for a highway use when such consumer knows or has reason to know that the fuel oil was dyed, such person shall be subject to a penalty of $1,000.00 or $10.00 per gallon of dyed fuel oil involved in such sale, delivery, or consumption, whichever amount is greater, and such amount shall be multiplied by the number of prior penalties imposed on such violator under this subsection, and the resulting product shall be the penalty to be imposed.

(f) When any person sells or delivers any dyed fuel oil without the notices required under paragraph (5) of subsection (c) of Code Section 48-9-8, such person shall be subject to a penalty which shall be the greater of the following:

(1) One hundred dollars per month for each month or part of a month in which such sale or delivery occurred; or

(2) One dollar per gallon of dyed fuel oil involved in such sale or delivery. Upon a showing of no highway use and reasonable cause, at the commissioner’s discretion the penalty under this subsection may be reduced to 10 percent of the amount which ordinarily would have been due or payment of the tax may be accepted in lieu of such penalty. History. Code 1933, § 92-1415, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 186, § 1; Code 1933, § 91A-5007, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 309, § 2; Code 1933, § 91A-5013, enacted by Ga. L. 1979, p. 5, § 102; Ga. L. 1980, p. 10, § 35; Ga. L. 1980, p. 1759, § 2; Ga. L. 1995, p. 359, § 5; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 48; Ga. L. 2003, p. 355, § 7; Ga. L. 2003, p. 665, § 17; Ga. L. 2009, p. 8, § 48/SB 46; Ga. L. 2017, p. 774, § 48/HB 323. Editor’s notes. Ga. L. 2003, p. 665, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘State and Local Tax Revision Act of 2003.’ ” Law reviews. For note on the 2003 amendment to this Code section, see 20 Georgia St. U.L. Rev. 233 (2003). For article, “Revenue and Taxation: Amend Titles 48, 2, 28, 33, 36, 46, and 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Relating Respectively to Revenue and Taxation, Agriculture, the General Assembly, Insurance, Local Government, Public Utilities, and State Government,” see 28 Georgia St. U.L. Rev. 217 (2011). OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Editor’s notes. In light of the similarity of the statutory provisions, opinions under former Code 1933, § 92-1407, prior to amendment by Ga. L. 1978, p. 186, § 1, which was subsequently repealed but was succeeded by provisions of this Code section, are included in the annotations for this Code section. This section is self-executing. 1963-65 Ga. Op. Att'y Gen. 25 (decided under former Code 1933, § 92-1407, prior to amendment by Ga. L. 1978, p. 186, § 1). Section does not, either directly or indirectly, provide that the penalty and interest become a part of the tax. 1948-49 Ga. Op. Att'y Gen. 681 (decided under former Code 1933, § 92-1407, prior to amendment by Ga. L. 1978, p. 186, § 1). RESEARCH REFERENCES ALR. Liability to penalty imposed for failure to pay tax of one who in good faith contested its validity, 96 A.L.R. 925; 147 A.L.R. 142. Penalty for nonpayment of taxes when due as affected by lack of notice to taxpayer, 102 A.L.R. 405. Doubt as to liability for, or as to person to whom to pay, tax, as affecting liability for penalties and interest, 137 A.L.R. 306. Recovery of cumulative statutory penalties, 71 A.L.R.2d 986.