The North Carolina Department of Revenue has announced a new program under which small businesses with outstanding sales and use, personal income withholding, or other trust taxes can qualify for waived fees and penalties and be eligible to enter into payment plans if they participate in a new Small Business Counseling Program. Businesses with 200 or less employees can qualify for the program and must agree to have a responsible corporate officer, LLC member or manager, or partnership partner attend small business counseling in North Carolina through the counseling services of several approved organizations. Taxpayers cannot participate if they are facing criminal charges, are the subject of a criminal investigation by the department at the time of application, or have defaulted on payments while participating in the Small Business Taxpayer Recovery Program or the Small Business Counseling Program. Fees and penalties may not be waived for tax periods associated with a prior criminal conviction. Taxpayers filing fraudulent returns will still be subject to criminal prosecution. The counseling provided is a confidential relationship between the business owner and/or management team and a professional business advisor, whose role is to help analyze the current business situation, identify improvement opportunities, and provide recommendations for planning and implementing improvements. Interested business owners can contact the department at (877) 252-4549 or visit one of the department’s service center locations. (State Launches Second Program to Help Small Businesses with Trust Taxes, North Carolina Department of Revenue, February 28, 2013)