Articles written by Mary Ann Dunwell


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  • Montana Department Of Revenue Expands Service As April 18 Tax Deadline Approaches

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Apr 13, 2016

    The Montana Department of Revenue is offering expanded hours at its call center to assist taxpayers during the days before the April 18 deadline for filing income tax returns. Taxpayers who need assistance can call the department’s call center toll free at (866) 859-2254, or in Helena at 444-6900. Regular call center hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The call center will have extended hours during the last days of tax season. Beginning Thursday and Friday, April 14 and 15, help will be available from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.; on S...

  • MT Department Of Revenue Warns Companies of Identity Phishing Scheme Involving W-2s

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Mar 23, 2016

    HELENA – The Montana Department of Revenue is joining the Internal Revenue Service alerting businesses to a phishing email scheme that targets payroll and human resources professionals. The scheme involves an email that purports to be from company executives and requests personal information on employees. The scheme has claimed victims. Payroll and human resources offices have mistakenly emailed payroll data, including Forms W-2 that contain Social Security numbers and other personal identity information to cybercriminals posing as company e...

  • MT Department Of Revenue Mails Thousands Of Livestock Reporting Forms For March 1 Reporting Deadline

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Feb 3, 2016

    Helena – The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing livestock reporting forms this week to Montanans who own livestock and need to meet upcoming reporting and payment deadlines. About 21,000 Montanans who reported last year will receive reporting forms. To make reporting easier, the department prepopulated the forms with statewide livestock information that is organized by county. All livestock owners need to report by March 1, 2016, any livestock they own as of February 1. You can submit the hardcopy form you receive or file online at R...

  • MT Department Of Revenue Sends Personal Property Reporting Information To Businesses

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Jan 13, 2016

    The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing out 2016 personal property reporting forms to business owners this week. Business and industrial taxpayers have until March 1, 2016, to report their business equipment or personal property to the department. You’ll need to file, even if there were no changes to your business equipment or if you closed or sold your business. Businesses can either complete the form they receive and mail or deliver it back to the department, or they can report online at revenue.mt.gov. “We encourage businesses to use...

  • Retailers Need License By January 1 To Sell Alternative Nicotine Or Vapor Products

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Dec 23, 2015

    The Montana Department of Revenue is notifying convenience stores and other retailers about a new law requiring a license by January 1, 2016, to sell alternative nicotine or vapor products. The department is mailing 1,800 postcards to retail outlets telling them they need to have the new Alternative Nicotine or Vapor Products License by January 1 to sell the products. “These products are commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, vapor cigarettes or vapes,” said Jim McKeon, Department of Revenue Unit Manager. “Even if you currently sell these vapor...

  • Retailers Need License By January 1 To Sell Alternative Nicotine Or Vapor Products

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Dec 9, 2015

    The Montana Department of Revenue is notifying convenience stores and other retailers about a new law requiring a license by January 1, 2016, to sell alternative nicotine or vapor products. The department is mailing 1,800 postcards to retail outlets telling them they need to have the new Alternative Nicotine or Vapor Products License by January 1 to sell the products. “These products are commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, vapor cigarettes or vapes,” said Jim McKeon, Department of Revenue Unit Manager. “Even if you currently sell these vapor...

  • MT Department Of Revenue Notifies Tax Exempt Property Owners To Reapply For Exemption

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Dec 2, 2015

    The Montana Department of Revenue is alerting nonprofit organizations and other tax-exempt property owners that they need to reapply for property tax exemption. A new state law requires owners of tax-exempt real property in exempt status before 2014 to submit an application by March 1, 2016. About 10,000 tax-exempt properties in Montana are affected. The reapplication requirement includes property owned by most nonprofit organizations, private schools and colleges, churches, parsonages, low income housing, veterans’ clubhouses, community s...

  • Montana Department Of Revenue Joins IRS Awareness Campaign Against Identity Theft & Tax Fraud

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Nov 25, 2015

    HELENA – The Montana Department of Revenue supports the Internal Revenue Service and other states and associations in appealing to the public to take online security precautions. Several agencies launched the public awareness campaign “Taxes, security, together” at a news conference Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. “Our message is we need the public’s help. As a taxpayer, you need to be aware of security steps you can take online and at home to protect your personal and financial data from cybercriminals and tax fraudsters,” said Mike K...

  • Online Payment Now Available For Livestock Per Capita Fees

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Nov 18, 2015

    The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing livestock per capita fee bills this week. For the first time, livestock owners can pay online at reportyourlivestock.mt.gov. In the past, they could just report online. Payments are due on Nov. 30, either electronically or by mail. “The department wants to make it more convenient for livestock owners to report their livestock and pay their fees,” said Director Mike Kadas, Montana Department of Revenue. “The new online system should be efficient and effective, making it easier for livestock owner...

  • Department of Revenue Takes Property Reappraisal Information Sessions on the Road

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Sep 17, 2014

    In advance of the 2015 reappraisal cycle, officials from the Montana Department of Revenue will be traveling to 18 different cities and towns throughout Montana to present informational sessions about how the state determines property values. Presenters for the “2014 Property Reappraisal Roadshow” include Revenue Director Mike Kadas, Property Assessment Division Administrator Cynthia Monteau-Moore, Business and Income Tax Division Administrator Gene Walborn, and Director of Tax Policy and Research Ed Caplis. The sessions will include informatio...

  • Revenue Department Certifies Property Taxable Values for Montana Counties

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Aug 13, 2014

    The Montana Department of Revenue announces it has successfully completed its annual requirement to certify taxable values of property in the state’s 56 counties. This year, department offices in 52 counties certified the values before the August 4 deadline. Offices in four counties finished on the deadline date. Under state law, the department’s property assessment offices are responsible for providing the total taxable value of property to each taxing jurisdiction by the first Monday in August. The values included in the certification pro...

  • Montana Department of Revenue Warns of Email Scam

    Mary Ann Dunwell|May 7, 2014

    Helena – The Montana Department of Revenue is warning people about a new email scam that could potentially harm computer systems, and steal identities and financial information. These email messages target people in and out of state. They are not from the department and the department recommends that people delete these fraudulent email notifications. Taxpayers are receiving email messages with a variety of subjects, one that claims they owe money to the Montana Department of Revenue. “We consider these scams to be serious threats to the pub...

  • MT Revenue Dept. Encourages Owners of Property Damaged or Destroyed by Flooding to Apply for Tax Relief

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Apr 2, 2014

    The Montana Department of Revenue encourages Montana property owners whose homes are damaged or destroyed by flooding to apply for natural disaster property tax relief. A property owner whose home or outbuildings are partially or totally destroyed by natural disaster, rendering the property unsuitable for its previous use, may be eligible for property tax relief. Businesses who lose their equipment to flooding or other natural disaster may also qualify. The tax relief is prorated based on the number of days in the tax year that the property is...

  • MT Revenue Dept. Encourages Owners of Property Damaged or Destroyed by Flooding to Apply for Tax Relief

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Mar 19, 2014

    The Montana Department of Revenue encourages Montana property owners whose homes are damaged or destroyed by flooding to apply for natural disaster property tax relief. A property owner whose home or outbuildings are partially or totally destroyed by natural disaster, rendering the property unsuitable for its previous use, may be eligible for property tax relief. Businesses who lose their equipment to flooding or other natural disaster may also qualify. The tax relief is prorated based on the number of days in the tax year that the property is...

  • MT Revenue Dept. Averting Tax Fraud from Identity Theft

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Mar 12, 2014

    The nationwide increase in identify theft has led to a jump in fraudulent tax returns, making tax fraud one of the fastest growing crimes in the country. These fraudulently filed refund requests contain fictitious and stolen identity information. The Montana Department of Revenue has seen a dramatic increase in the number of fraudulent returns in the last couple of years because of the rise in identity theft. So far this tax season, the department has intercepted about 80 fraudulent state income tax returns and stopped approximately $143,000...

  • New Montana Law Makes It Easier To Order Wine Directly From Wineries

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Oct 2, 2013

    The Montana Department of Revenue’s Liquor Control Division would like to notify wine consumers about a new law that eliminates the requirement to have a connoisseur’s license to order wine directly from wineries. The law took effect October 1. The law creates a direct shipment endorsement for wineries that allows them to sell and ship up to 18 9-liter cases of wine a year to an individual for personal use. A list of wineries that are registered or licensed with the department and have direct shipment endorsements will soon be available at rev...

  • Taxpayers Who File Electronically Receive State Refund In Matter Of Days

    Mary Ann Dunwell|Mar 20, 2013

    Taxpayers who file their state taxes electronically are getting their state refunds in about four to five days. The brief amount of time it takes the Montana Department of Revenue (DOR) to issue refunds on electronic returns underscores the benefit of e-filing as compared to paper filing. Currently, the wait for those who file by paper ranges from 20 to 21 days before receiving refunds. By early to mid-April when the filing rush peaks it may take up to 36 days or longer. “The terrifically short turnaround time the department has been a...