Virginia § 12.1-15 - Power to compromise and settle; power to waive penalties and charge off delinquent taxes, etc

§ 12.1-15. Power to compromise and settle; power to waive penalties and charge off delinquent taxes, etc

The Commission shall have power and authority in any matter, claim, or charge within its jurisdiction, under any provision of law heretofore or hereafter enacted, to compromise or settle any matter, claim, or charge, either by or in a formal proceeding, or informally, whether any proceeding shall have been instituted or not. The Commission shall have the power and authority to dismiss any proceeding which is pending and in which a compromise or settlement is effected without making a formal record of such compromise or settlement, in its sound judicial discretion. Any compromise or settlement may include provisions for reimbursement to the Commission to defray the costs, or a portion thereof, of any audit, investigation, or examination conducted.

The power and authority of the Commission to make compromises and settlements hereby conferred shall extend to its jurisdiction to impose fines and penalties under any provision of law heretofore or hereafter enacted.

Nothing herein contained, however, shall be construed to authorize or empower the Commission to effect any compromise or settlement involving the payment of money into the treasury without some record or memorandum of such compromise or settlement in the clerk's office of the Commission.

The Commission shall have power and authority to waive the assessment of any penalty or interest upon any tax or fee assessed by the Commission, and to abate and exonerate any such penalty or interest, whether heretofore or hereafter assessed, for providential or other good cause shown to the satisfaction of the Commission, or in cases where the collection thereof cannot be economically effected because the cost of collection exceeds the amount recoverable.

The Commission shall have power and authority to charge off delinquent taxes and registration fees on its books when the claims therefor are worthless or cannot be economically collected, and shall notify the State Tax Commissioner and the Comptroller of such action in such detail and at such times as they may require. The Commission shall maintain records which indicate the reason for the charge off for a period of three years.

Code 1950, § 12-20; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 157; 1975, c. 236; 1991, c. 128.