HispanicBusiness

State tax hunters will visit 12,000 businesses in Yorba Linda and 16 other California cities in search of unpaid sales and use taxes and other mandated fees, according to the California State Board of Equalization.

The visits are part of a program first authorized by the board in 2008 to uncover sources of $2 billion in unpaid taxes. In the past five years, the board's Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program teams have visited 353,000 businesses statewide.

The teams go door to door in business districts to verify that retailers are registered with the Board of Equalization and have proper occupational licenses.

The board has seven eight-member teams statewide -- one is in Irvine -- to conduct these door-to-door visits.

If owners have specific questions about the inquiries from the BOE specialists, they should call the local State Compliance and Outreach Program Team (in Orange and San Bernardino counties, the contact is 949-223-5447).

Michelle Steel, the board of equalization member who represents Orange County, also said businesses can direct their questions to her office at 949-724-2578.

For general information go to the board's website or call the Taxpayer Information Call Center at 800-400-7115.