Former Madison County Business Owner Sentenced on Sales Tax Charges
Thursday, October 16, 2008 | 10:55am
NASHVILLE - The Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations Section conducted the investigation that led to the indictment, arrest and subsequent guilty plea of Abdulsatta A. Saleh to one count of sales tax evasion.
On Oct. 15, 2008, Saleh, former owner of Hickory Markets, Inc. located at 1291 North Highland in Jackson, Tenn., was sentenced to one year supervised probation for the sales tax evasion charge.
According to the indictment, Saleh failed to declare taxable sales of $64,012 and did not remit $3,800 in sales tax collected from Feb. 1, 2005 to May 31, 2005. Saleh was ordered to pay $3,800 in restitution, plus civil taxes, penalties and interest due the state.
"When sales tax is collected from the public and not remitted, it is a breach of the public trust," said Commissioner Reagan Farr. "The Department of Revenue aggressively pursues criminal sanctions and demands accountability for such actions."
This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with the Madison County District Attorney General Jerry Woodall’s Office. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee's revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).
The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws established by the legislature and the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department of Revenue collects approximately 92 percent of total state tax revenue. During the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the department collected $11.2 billion in state taxes and fees. In addition to collecting state taxes, $1.9 billion of local sales tax was collected by the department for local governments during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Besides collecting taxes, the department enforces the revenue laws fairly and impartially in an effort to encourage voluntary taxpayer compliance. The department also apportions revenue collections for distribution to the various state funds and local units of government. To learn more about the department, log on to www.Tennessee.gov/revenue.
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