MCL 205.19 — Remittances of taxes; income tax withholding; failure to remit tax; penalties; disposition of money not paid to department; allocation of payment

(1) All remittances of taxes administered by this act shall be made to the department payable to the state of Michigan by bank draft, check, cashier's check, certified check, money order, cash, or electronic funds transfer. The money received shall be credited as provided by law. A remittance other than cash or electronic funds transfer shall not be a final discharge of liability for the tax assessed and levied until the instrument remitted has been honored. The department may accept major credit cards or debit cards, or both, for payment. For taxes paid by credit or debit card, or both, the department may add a processing fee; however, the fee shall not exceed the charges that the state incurs because of the use of the credit or debit card, or both.
(2) For reporting periods beginning after August 31, 1991, a taxpayer other than a city or a county who paid in the immediately preceding calendar year an average of $40,000.00 or more per month in income tax withholding pursuant to the income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.1 to 206.713, shall deposit Michigan income tax withholding either in the same manner and according to the same schedule as deposits of federal income tax withholding or in another manner that has been approved by the department.
(3) For failure to remit a tax administered by this act with a negotiable remittance, the following penalty may be added in addition to any other penalties imposed by this act:
(a) For notices of intent to assess issued on or before February 28, 2003, 25% of the tax due.
(b) For notices of intent to assess issued after February 28, 2003, $50.00.
(4) The department may require that all money collected by the taxpayer for taxes administered by this act that has not been paid to the department is public money and the property of this state, and shall be held in trust in a separate account and fund for the sole use and benefit of this state until paid over to the department.
(5) For tax years after the 1995 tax year for which taxes are collected under an agreement entered into pursuant to section 9 of chapter 1 of the city income tax act, 1964 PA 284, MCL 141.509, if a taxpayer pays, when filing his or her annual return, an amount less than the sum of the declared tax liability under the city income tax act, 1964 PA 284, MCL 141.501 to 141.787, and the declared tax liability under the income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.1 to 206.713, and if there is no indication of the allocation of payment between the tax liabilities against which the payment should be applied, the amount paid shall first be applied against the taxpayer's tax liability under the city income tax act, 1964 PA 284, MCL 141.501 to 141.787, and any remaining amount of the payment shall be applied to the taxpayer's tax liability under the income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.1 to 206.713. The taxpayer's designation of a payee on a payment is not a dispositive determination of the allocation of that payment under this subsection.