Middleton Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Sales Tax Evasion Charges

Friday, May 08, 2009 | 03:11am

 
 BOLIVAR, Tenn. -The Tennessee Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations Section conducted the investigation that led to the guilty plea of Maher Quran, age 43, owner of the Middleton Pit Stop. Quran pled guilty to four counts of Sales Tax Evasion, a violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(g), a Class E felony. The counts charged that between March 2003 and November 2004, Quran attempted to evade tax due the state.

Quran was sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary for each of the four counts. The sentence was suspended, and Quran was placed on probation. As a condition of his probation, Quran will make full restitution to the state within 30 days for sales tax not remitted to the state in the amount of $17,590.
 
“The Department of Revenue is committed to applying Tennessee’s tax laws and policies uniformly to all taxpayers to ensure a level playing field,” said Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr. “The department cannot and will not allow people engaged in fraudulent tax activities to have a competitive advantage over honest businesspeople.”
 
This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with District Attorney General Mike Dunavant. 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.TN.gov/revenue.
 
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View this news release online. Go to www.TN.gov/revenue and click on Newsroom.

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