Jefferson County Business Owner Pleads Guilty on Tax Fraud Charges
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 | 08:21am
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Revenue’s Special Investigation Section conducted the investigation that led to the indictment, arrest and subsequent guilty plea of Ricky Darrell Ballinger on two counts of tax evasion.
Ballinger pled guilty to the charges yesterday and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation on each count to run concurrently. He was also required to perform 20 hours of community service. Ballinger paid restitution totaling $3,636. Additionally, civil taxes, penalties and interest will be due the state.
The indictments issued on January 6, 2009 charged Ballinger with intentionally reporting false information to the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office in order to evade paying tax totaling $3,636 on his purchase of two Chevrolet Corvettes.
“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 citizens.”
This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with Fourth Judicial District Attorney General James Dunn’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.TN.gov/revenue.
Related news: Jan. 8, 2009 - Jefferson County Businessman Surrenders on Tax Fraud Charges (http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/812)
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