Department of Revenue News Release

OSAGE BEACH - An Osage Beach man has been arrested on charges of not paying sales taxes for the business that he owns.

Robert W. A. Hill III is the owner and operator of Lake Area Tire & Service Inc., located at 4587 Highway 54 in Osage Beach.  Hill was arrested December 1 by the Osage Beach Police Department.

According to public records filed in Camden County Circuit Court, the business owes an estimated $89,024 in back taxes, penalties and interest.  Administrative judgments against the business have been filed in the court and indicate that sales taxes were not paid during five separate periods from Dec. 1, 2007 through April 30, 2010.

Alana M. Barragán-Scott, director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, noted that the Department tries to work with delinquent taxpayers before their cases reach the judicial or law enforcement stage.

"Many, many notices are sent to people or businesses who are behind on their taxes," she said.  "We also try to work with business owners by offering payment plan options.  However, there are other cases where business owners continually flout the law, and it is up to the Department of Revenue to enforce the law.  It would be unfair to taxpayers who do abide by the law to ignore cases where the law is violated."

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