§ 144.150 RSMo — Withholding of tax money in case of sale of business — director to send statements to certain persons, when — secured creditors, priority, exempt from tax liability

1. If any person required to remit a tax levied hereunder or his successors shall sell all or substantially all of his or their business or stock of goods or shall quit the business, such person or successor shall file a final return under oath within fifteen days after the date of selling or quitting business.

2. If any person required to remit a tax levied hereunder or his successors shall contract to sell all or substantially all of his or their business, the seller shall request from the director of revenue a statement or certificate as provided in subsection 4 of this section. The seller shall present such statement or certificate to the purchaser prior to consummation of the sale and secure the purchaser's signature thereon as validation of receipt. Failure to comply with this provision shall result in the seller being liable for an additional penalty equal to twenty-five percent of the seller's delinquency at the time of the sale. The provisions of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, this additional penalty shall be the sole liability of the seller and shall not be a liability of the purchaser.

3. Except as provided in subsections 4, 5 and 6 of this section, all successors, if any, shall be required to withhold sufficient of the purchase money to cover the amount of such taxes and interest, additions to tax or penalties due and unpaid until such time as the former owner or predecessor, whether immediate or not, shall produce a receipt from the director of revenue showing that the taxes have been paid, or a certificate stating that no taxes are due. If the purchaser of a business or stock of goods shall fail to withhold the purchase money as provided in this section and remit at the time of purchase all amounts so withheld to the director to pay all unpaid taxes, interest, additions to tax and penalties due from the former owner or predecessor, the purchaser shall be personally liable for the payment of the taxes, interest, additions to tax and penalties accrued and unpaid on account of the operation of the business by the former owner and person.

4. The director of revenue shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 32.057 , upon written request, furnish within fifteen business days from the receipt of such request by certified mail, return receipt requested, or such other methods as may be mutually agreed upon, to any owner, successor, secured creditor, purchaser, or in the case of a proposed purchaser if joined in writing by the owner, a statement showing the amount of taxes, interest, additions to tax or penalties due and owing or a certificate showing that no taxes, interest, additions to tax or penalties are due under this chapter, including the date of the last payment for such taxes, interest, additions to tax or penalties as shown by the records of the director of revenue. The person obtaining a certificate from the director of revenue under this section may rely on such certificate for a period of one hundred twenty days.

5. A secured creditor who shall enforce a lien against a business or a stock and goods of a business subject to the provisions of this chapter shall be entitled to obtain from the director of revenue a statement of sales tax due and the status of the sales tax payments from the director of revenue in accordance with subsection 4 of this section. If the director of revenue does not respond within fifteen business days from the date of receipt of such request by the secured creditor seeking to enforce its lien, it shall be conclusively presumed that all such sales taxes have been paid as to the secured creditor or any successor of the secured creditor, whether such successor be immediate or not. Nothing in this section shall eliminate the liability of the owner of the business owing sales tax from the liability to pay such sales tax. Any purchaser who acquires the business or stock of goods as a result of an enforcement action by a creditor, including the creditor, shall be exempt from the liability set forth in subsection 3 of this section, whether such purchaser be immediate or subsequent thereto.

6. Any such creditor who shall enforce a lien against the business or stock of goods subject to the provisions of this section shall be entitled to be paid the principal sums due, all accrued interest to the date of payment, and the expenses of enforcing the lien of the secured creditor including its attorney's fees. The balance, if any, shall be paid to creditors having a priority interest thereto under the laws of the state of Missouri or the United States of America. Any balance then remaining, up to the amount of the tax, interest, additions to tax and penalties then due, shall be remitted to the director of revenue as provided by this section. Nothing in this section shall affect the priority of any lien filed by the director of revenue against the former owner or predecessor.

7. Mailing of notices or requests, by first class mail, postage prepaid, certified with return receipt requested, or such other methods as may be mutually agreed upon, shall be prima facie evidence that the party to whom it is addressed received the correspondence, notice or request.