Sales tax is a tax imposed on the rental or retail sale of tangible personal property and charges for certain services. A full copy of this rule is included at the end of this booklet. If you are purchasing a business, Utah law requires you to withhold enough of the purchase money to cover any taxes due and unpaid until the former owner of the business produces a receipt from the Tax Commission showing that the taxes have been paid, or a certificate showing that no taxes are due. If you fail to withhold the required purchase money, and the taxes remain due and unpaid 30 days after the business is sold, you will be personally liable for payment of the taxes unpaid by the former owner. Return to top Filing Requirements Returns Filing periods are determined by the Tax Commission.
Returns are due on or before the last day of the month following each filing period.
Returns must be filed even if the license has no tax liability for a particular period. In addition, persons filing monthly tourism tax returns are entitled to a vendor discount equal to 1 percent of the tourism short-term leasing tax adopted by the county. Monthly returns provide a work-sheet on the back to calculate this. In addition, monthly returns filed late or underpaid returns will result in the loss of vendor discount. Sellers making exempt sales to farmers and agricultural producers under the exemption for sales of tangible personal property used or consumed primarily and directly in farming operations must report such sales on the appropriate informational line of their returns.