410 ILCS 705/65-38 — Illinois Code / Chapter 410 / Act 705 / Section 65-38
Section 65-38
Status: in_force

(410 ILCS 705/65-38) Sec. 65-38. Violations and penalties. (a) When the amount due is under $300, any retailer of cannabis who fails to file a return, willfully fails or refuses to make any payment to the Department of the tax imposed by this Article, or files a fraudulent return, or any officer or agent of a corporation engaged in the business of selling cannabis to purchasers located in this State who signs a fraudulent return filed on behalf of the corporation, or any accountant or other agent who knowingly enters false information on the return of any taxpayer under this Article is guilty of a Class 4 felony. (b) When the amount due is $300 or more, any retailer of cannabis who files, or causes to be filed, a fraudulent return, or any officer or agent of a corporation engaged in the business of selling cannabis to purchasers located in this State who files or causes to be filed or signs or causes to be signed a fraudulent return filed on behalf of the corporation, or any accountant or other agent who knowingly enters false information on the return of any taxpayer under this Article is guilty of a Class 3 felony. (c) Any person who violates any provision of Section 65-20, fails to keep books and records as required under this Article, or willfully violates a rule of the Department for the administration and enforcement of this Article is guilty of a Class 4 felony. A person commits a separate offense on each day that he or she engages in business in violation of Section 65-20 or a rule of the Department for the administration and enforcement of this Article. If a person fails to produce the books and records for inspection by the Department upon request, a prima facie presumption shall arise that the person has failed to keep books and records as required under this Article. A person who is unable to rebut this presumption is in violation of this Article and is subject to the penalties provided in this Section. (d) Any person who violates any provision of Sections 65-20, fails to keep books and records as required under this Article, or willfully violates a rule of the Department for the administration and enforcement of this Article, is guilty of a business offense and may be fined up to $5,000. If a person fails to produce books and records for inspection by the Department upon request, a prima facie presumption shall arise that the person has failed to keep books and records as required under this Article. A person who is unable to rebut this presumption is in violation of this Article and is subject to the penalties provided in this Section. A person commits a separate offense on each day that he or she engages in business in violation of Section 65-20. (e) Any taxpayer or agent of a taxpayer who with the intent to defraud purports to make a payment due to the Department by issuing or delivering a check or other order upon a real or fictitious depository for the payment of money, knowing that it will not be paid by the depository, is guilty of a deceptive practice in violation of Section 17-1 of the Criminal Code of 2012. (f) Any person who fails to keep books and records or fails to produce books and records for inspection, as required by Section 65-36, is liable to pay to the Department, for deposit in the Tax Compliance and Administration Fund, a penalty of $1,000 for the first failure to keep books and records or failure to produce books and records for inspection, as required by Section 65-36, and $3,000 for each subsequent failure to keep books and records or failure to produce books and records for inspection, as required by Section 65-36. (g) Any person who knowingly acts as a retailer of cannabis in this State without first having obtained a certificate of registration to do so in compliance with Section 65-20 of this Article shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony. (h) A person commits the offense of tax evasion under this Article when he or she knowingly attempts in any manner to evade or defeat the tax imposed on him or her or on any other person, or the payment thereof, and he or she commits an affirmative act in furtherance of the evasion. As used in this Section, "affirmative act in furtherance of the evasion" means an act designed in whole or in part to (i) conceal, misrepresent, falsify, or manipulate any material fact or (ii) tamper with or destroy documents or materials related to a person's tax liability under this Article. Two or more acts of sales tax evasion may be charged as a single count in any indictment, information, or complaint and the amount of tax deficiency may be aggregated for purposes of determining the amount of tax that is attempted to be or is evaded and the period between the first and last acts may be alleged as the date of the offense. (1) When the amount of tax, the assessment or payment of which is attempted to be or is