FORKS — The state Department of Revenue says that Dazzled by Twilight owes $39,239.04.
The tax warrant for unpaid sales taxes, penalties and interest was issued Feb. 2 and filed in Clallam County Superior Court on Feb. 17.
Annette and Tim Root own Dazzled by Twilight, a souvenir shop with branches in Forks and Port Angeles, as well as The Lodge in Forks and Twilight Lounge.
Annette Root declined to comment.
Repeated attempts over two days to reach Tim Root were unsuccessful.
The Twilight Lounge, 81 N. Forks Ave., is an entertainment venue for bands and other weekly activities for fans of the Twilight series which does not charge.
The Lodge in Forks, which will be housed in the same building, has not opened. It is to be a restaurant.
The tax warrant names The Lodge in Forks and Twilight Lounge.
The Lodge in Forks and Twilight Lounge is the registered, legal name for all three businesses at the Department of Revenue, said Mike Gowrylow, spokesman for the department.
The business is incorporated under the name Dazzled by Twilight LLC.
Gowrylow said he did not know why the business was incorporated under one name and called another within the Department of Revenue, but the tax identification number for all three business was the same — which means, legally speaking, they are all the same business.
The taxes due include sales tax from both the Port Angeles and Forks stores, he said.
Although he would not comment on the specific situation, Gowrylow said that the action was a common one. He said:
“The fact is that businesses collect money that is not theirs when they make a sale. It belongs to the state, so we are just making sure that it is getting to the right place.”
The warrant, filed in the Clallam County Superior Court, asks for $28,812.75 in taxes the Department of Revenue said the business has not paid.
A $6,433.26 delinquent penalty, a $2,881.28 warrant penalty and $289.73 in audit interest, $52.10 in additional interest and $769.92 in other penalties were added to the bill.
The taxes were for the quarter from August through October 2009, according to the warrant.
No other documents had been filed as of Thursday.
Gowrylow said when a warrant is filed, the first action is to attempt to work out a payment plan with the owners of a business.
He said he could not comment on the specific situation, but most situations can be resolved with business owners without further court action.
Tax warrants are typically filed after a waiting period following the due date.
On the day the warrant against the Forks business was filed, it was the only one in Clallam County; the next business day, about 15 tax warrants appeared in the court docket.
Gowrylow said tax warrants go through the courts as civil cases if they cannot be resolved between the Department of Revenue and the business owners.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.